Do gaseous planets have a core?

[bs2taa]

I remember reading an article about the gases that jupiter has, and it was saying that it probably had a solid core from materials that were left over in it's creation.<br /><br />is this a possibility?<br /><br />I was also wondering if jupiter's gases were sort of like a thin atmospheric layer and underneath would be clear space.<br /><br />For example, how we have clouds, then clear space, and then land. I had always wondered if it was possible for jupiter to have the same system, that is, if it does in fact have a core.<br /><br />And I'm also new to these forums. Hi.

 

[bobvanx]

Hi, and welcome to SDC!<br /><br />Scientists used to <i>know</i> that a gas giant had a solid core, then others were just as certain it had a solid hydrogen metal core, and now the truth comes out, that they don't really know at all.<br /><br />Is there a solid place to stand on, somewhere deep within Jupiter? That answer is still being worked out. Jupiter certainly does have "clear" zones, where you could see for thousands of miles if you were there. But before long, as you descend there is so much atmosphere above you, that the weight compresses gasses into liquids. We don't know what that boundary looks like. It could be sudden, like our oceans are, or it could be frothy, like foam on a wave at a truly titanic scale.<br /><br />At the very middle, something is driving Jupiter's magnetic field, so some sort of conductive fluid (liquid hydrogen) is very likely.

 

[vogon13]

Temperature increases as depth increases, don't have graph handy, but suspect incandescent heat not too far down. Transparent red hot gas probably an oxymoron. Interesting topic, would appreciate more comments! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[claywoman]

I've tried this afternoon to find the answer to your question. I'm not a scientist nor an astronomer who is a scientist, I am a historian. But I've heard this differing ways and decided to look it up. I'm more confused now then I was four hours ago.<br /><br />Some say yes, a gaseous planet has a 'solid' core, probably iron, while others say no, the atmosphere is held in by gravity. I'd alway learned to have gravity, you had to have iron to magnitize? Is there any other way? anyway some say they have a gaseous core.<br /><br />I personally think no one knows for sure and I don't think we will know for sure unless we send a probe and that probe can pass through the atmosphere, survive the pressure, and land? I'm sorry I can't help you...Like I said, I'm more confused now then I was to start with....

 

[thalion]

The matter of gas giants having solid cores is still open for debate, with more doubt being shed on the topic in recent years, IIRC. Missions that could help answer this question--by gauging Jupiter's interior from orbit--have been proposed, but none look likely to make it off the launchpad in the next 10-15 years.

 

[heyo]

<i>Is there a solid place to stand on, somewhere deep within Jupiter? That answer is still being worked out. Jupiter certainly does have "clear" zones, where you could see for thousands of miles if you were there.</i><br /><br />Okay, I have to admit that is one of the most interesting things I have read in a long time. I did not know that. I imagined it would appear sort of the same way it looks through the telescope, pretty much opaque turmoil once you got inside. Man, if only we could get a camera into one of those clear zones...<br /><br /><i>as you descend there is so much atmosphere above you, that the weight compresses gasses into liquids. We don't know what that boundary looks like. It could be sudden, like our oceans are, or it could be frothy, like foam on a wave at a truly titanic scale.</i><br /><br />Again, EXTREMELY interesting stuff, like the kind that makes you jump out of your chair a do a little jig at the mere possibility of someday seeing and learning the true dynamics of these places.<br /><br />Heyo<br /><br />

 

[bobvanx]

>>opaque turmoil<br /><br />Well, your enthusiasm inspired me to search on "Jupiter clouds" and I found this page with a fanciful interpretation of Jupiter's cloudscape<br /><br />http://www.sundog.clara.co.uk/halo/owjup.htm

 

[heyo]

<i>Some say yes, a gaseous planet has a 'solid' core, probably iron, while others say no, the atmosphere is held in by gravity. I'd alway learned to have gravity, you had to have iron to magnitize? Is there any other way? </i><br /><br />Just to clear it up, claywoman, anything with mass has gravity, it doesn't matter what it's made of, gas or iron or anything else. Anything that weighs anything or has any substance to it has gravity. Of course iron would have more gravity compared to the same size ball of gas, because it's much heavier. Still, that much gas in one place is certainly enough to hold Jupiter together without a solid core, if that is indeed the case.<br /><br />Heyo

 

[Leovinus]

If you read "2010 - Odyssey 2", Mr. Clarke suggests that Jupiter's core is a gigantic diamond. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<i>"I'd alway learned to have gravity, you had to have iron..." -- claywoman</i><br /><br />I think you're confusing 'gravity' with 'magnetic field'. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[centsworth_II]

<font color="yellow">"...Jupiter intercepts countless comets and asteroids over the millenia..." -- eburacum45</font><br /><br />Given high entry velocity, due to Jupiter's gravity, and thick, deep, hot atmosphere, I wonder if any material would remain intact to add to a core, of if it all would be vaporized and remain in the atmosphere. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>