Jupiter and Venus Size Comparison

About this Simulation

This interactive comparison places Jupiter and Venus side by side at their true scales. At first glance, the difference is overwhelming: Venus, nearly Earth’s twin in size, shrinks to a small glowing sphere beside the immense bulk of Jupiter. The radii used are the most widely accepted values—69,911 km for Jupiter and 6,052 km for Venus. The result is a diameter ratio of about 11.6 to 1, but because volume grows with the cube of radius, Jupiter’s interior could contain more than 1,500 Venuses.

Comparing the Giant and the Terrestrial

Mass and Density

Jupiter is the heavyweight of our Solar System, with a mass of 1.898 × 10²⁷ kilograms. Venus, in contrast, weighs in at 4.867 × 10²⁴ kilograms. That’s almost 400 times less. Yet the densities tell a different story: Venus is rocky and compact, averaging about 5.2 g/cm³, while Jupiter, made mostly of hydrogen and helium, is far less dense at only 1.3 g/cm³. This explains why Jupiter’s size and mass are so disproportionate—it is a vast sphere of light gases held together by enormous gravity.

Gravity and Surface Experience

If you could stand at the top of Jupiter’s cloud deck, you would feel a pull nearly three times stronger than on Venus. Jupiter’s effective surface gravity is about 24.8 m/s², while Venus’s is 8.87 m/s²—remarkably close to Earth’s. This similarity in surface conditions once made Venus seem like a candidate for life. But appearances are deceiving.

The Worlds as We See Them

Jupiter’s Cloud Bands

Jupiter’s visible “surface” is really a tapestry of clouds. Bands of light and dark material sweep across the planet, driven by rapid rotation and complex jet streams. The Great Red Spot, a storm larger than Earth itself, has raged for centuries and is a defining mark on its face.

Venus’s Opaque Atmosphere

Venus could not look more different. Shrouded in a dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide, it reflects sunlight brilliantly but hides its surface from view in visible light. Space probes and radar imaging reveal volcanic plains, mountains, and craters beneath the cloud cover. Temperatures soar above 460°C, hot enough to melt lead, making Venus the hottest planet in the Solar System despite being further from the Sun than Mercury.

Perspective and Scale

This simulation is intentionally stark. Venus, impressive in its own right as nearly Earth-sized, is reduced to a bright dot beside the largest planet in our system. The effect drives home how varied our planetary neighbors are. By zooming in and out, you can shift your sense of perspective: Venus may feel comfortably familiar when viewed alone, but next to Jupiter it becomes a reminder of the staggering diversity of worlds orbiting the Sun.