See How Far You Could Jump, and How Strong You’d Be On The Surface of Jupiter

Written by Jeremiah Wright
Published: September 18, 2022
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The farthest recorded jump is about 29.86 ft. On the other hand, the average person can barely jump about 6 ft 6 in – 7 ft 5 in. If we compare ourselves to kangaroos, humans are not very good jumpers. The farthest leap on record belonging to a kangaroo measures a distance of about 42 feet.

Naturally, many factors influence the distance of a jump. Weight is one of them. The kangaroo jump mentioned above belongs to a red kangaroo, a species that weighs about 104 lbs. Humans, however, weigh, on average, about 136 pounds. So, we’re at a disadvantage there!

Another essential factor is gravity – which is constant unless we were on the surface of another planet. Let’s see how far you could jump and how strong you’d be on the surface of Jupiter – could you compete with a red kangaroo?

What factors influence the distance of a long jump?

Vertical velocity during take-off and horizontal velocity developed in the run-up influence the distance of a long jump.

©iStock.com/Cobalt88

The most important factors that influence the distance of a jump are vertical velocity during take-off and horizontal velocity developed in the run-up.

Multiple factors affect these velocities, although most are constant – at least here, on Earth. For instance, acceleration due to gravity is an important value, as it determines your speed, as well as your weight. In environments with increased gravitational force, you would experience difficulty in running and jumping. Extreme gravity would make it impossible for you actually to jump. 

On other planets, however, gravity can be as weak as 10% of Earth’s. As a result, you can’t attain the same velocity and jump height/distance as you would on our planet. How about Jupiter?

What is the exact gravity on Jupiter?

jupiter

The exact gravity on the surface of Jupiter is about 252% the gravity of Earth.

©joshimerbin/Shutterstock.com

The exact gravity on the surface of Jupiter is 81.3 ft/s2 – or 2.528 g. It is about 252% the gravity of Earth – or 152% stronger. A 10 lbs object on Earth would weigh about 25 lbs on Jupiter. This value influences the weight of objects (not their mass), your ability to jump, as well as your overall strength.

Jupiter is the planet where you’d have difficulty taking off. On its surface, you’d weigh more than twice your actual weight, making it extremely difficult even to run properly. Jumping up high or far away is not an option. Instead, the best you could do is probably little hops. Your strength would also be affected – 100 lbs on Jupiter are about 50 lbs shy of 300 lbs.

For comparison purposes, the gravity on the Moon is 5.31 ft/s2 – or 0.166 g. It is about 16% the gravity of Earth – or 84% weaker. You can refer to the famous moon walking videos to get an idea and a starting point for the matters in question here.

How far and high could you jump on the surface of Jupiter?

On Jupiter, you could jump approximately 0.62 ft high from a standing position.

©iStock.com/dottedhippo

Theoretically, on Jupiter, you could jump approximately 0.62 ft high from a standing position and spend 0.25 seconds in the air. You can jump about 1.64 feet high on Earth and spend 0.63 seconds airborne. This means that, on Jupiter, you can jump about 0.39 times as high and far as on Earth.

The mass of Jupiter is about 318 Earths. This aspect directly influences the planet’s gravity. On Earth, the average person can jump about 7 feet and 5 inches far after building up speed. Due to gravity and mass combined, it is likely that you couldn’t build up speed on Jupiter, so running would be extremely difficult. 

In theory, according to the data presented here, you could jump only 34.7 inches far on the surface of Jupiter – 39% of an approximate average 7 ft 5 in (89 inches) jump on Earth. On our planet, this would make you a very bad jumper.

How far and high could you jump on the surface of every planet in our Solar System?

Here is how far and how high you could jump on the surface of every planet in our Solar System:

Jump height (approx.)Jump distance (approx.)
Earth1.64 feet89 inches
Mercury4.33 feet234 inches
Venus1.80 feet97.9 inches
Mars4.33 feet234 inches
Jupiter0.62 feet34.7 inches
Saturn1.54 feet82.77 inches
Uranus1.80 feet97.9 inches
Neptune1.41 feet77.43 inches
Pluto24.34 feet1,406.2 inches

How strong would you be on the surface of Jupiter?

In theory, you’d be 0.39 times (less) as strong on the surface of Jupiter. On the planet’s surface, 10 lbs feel like 25 lbs. The greatest weight ever lifted, 6,270 lbs, would weigh 15,850.5 lbs on Jupiter.

This means that astronaut equipment and vehicles would be impossible to move unless the necessary technology is present. A simple space buggy would likely require something as strong as a jet engine to be able to move on Jupiter’s surface.

What planet could you jump the farthest and be the strongest on?

The planet you’d jump the farthest and be the strongest on is Pluto. It has the smallest gravitational force of all planets in the Solar System. Jumping there would send you in the air for about 10 seconds. Object weight is almost irrelevant there, as you can easily move most objects you encounter on a usual day. 

Here’s Jupiter compared to other planets!

PlanetVolumeMassSurface GravityEscape velocityAverage surface temperature
Jupiter1.321 Earths317.8 Earths2.528 g37.0 mi/s-238 °F
Mars0.151 Earths0.107 Earths0.3794 g3.12 mi/s-81 °F
Uranus63.086 Earths14.536 Earths0.886 g13.24 mi/s-353 °F
Neptune57.74 Earths17.147 Earths1.14 g14.6 mi/s-373 °F
Saturn763.59 Earths95.159 Earths1.065 g22 mi/s-285 °F
Venus0.857 Earths0.815 Earths0.904 g6.44 mi/s847 °F
Pluto0.00651 Earths0.00218 Earths0.063 g0.75 mi/s-375 °F
Mercury0.056 Earths0.055 Earths0.38 g2.64 mi/s354 °F
Earth2.59876×1011 cu mi1.31668×1025 lb1 g6.95 mi/s57 °F

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/dottedhippo


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About the Author

I hold seven years of professional experience in the content world, focusing on nature, and wildlife. Asides from writing, I enjoy surfing the internet and listening to music.

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Sources
  1. Cosmos, Available here: https://cosmos-book.github.io/high-jump/index.html
  2. ScienceDirect, Available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705813011260?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=74b223e5488d8c8f