Does Jupiter Have a Solid Core?
Written by Fraser Cain
We call Jupiter a gas giant planet, but is there a solid core down there, hiding under all the hydrogen? Jupiter does have some solids in its core. Mainly rock and metallic hydrogen; created from tremendous gravitational force.
Jupiter is a gas giant planet, as such, it doesn't have a clearly defined surface like the terrestrial planets have, but rather it becomes progressively denser moving from the outside in. If you could get down to the center of Jupiter, you would find a mixture of nickel and iron floating in a soup of liquid hydrogen.
Let's be clear, however, that scientists don't know for sure what the core of Jupiter is made of. They can make educated guesses based on taking gravitational measurements and comparing them with Earth. The core of Jupiter is thought to represent between 3% and 15% of its total mass. Another way scientists can assume the existence of a core is by knowing how planets form. A rocky or icy core large enough, can steal hydrogen and helium from a nebula, wrapping these gases around it like spinning cotton candy. Between the core and what we see as the surface is a thick layer of liquid hydrogen.
Scientists are pretty sure that Jupiter has a mostly solid core based on the best scientific evidence they have gathered so far.
Filed under: Astronomy
