Does Jupiter have a solid core, or is it just a ball of gas?

Answer 1

It is a common misconception that Jovian planets do not have solid cores. Jupiters core is a iron-rich rocky core with a mass 10x that of earth and is about the size of earth, surrounded by 40,000km of metallic hydrogen (probably in a liquid form). The core resides 60,000km from the part of Jupiter we can see with a telescope so their is a big reason our knowledge of Jupiters lower levels is theoretical is because you can't just land a robot/lander on it because it would be destroyed long before it got there.

The iron core is what gives Jupiter its large magnetic field. The iron core spins in the globe of metallic hydrogen generating an electromagnetic charge which our satellites can detect when they are out in space. The magnetic field of Jupiter is 20,000x more powerful than earth's and a million times more voluminous. The core is what produces this field and it prevents a lot of the suns energy from reaching Jupiter, but it generates a lot of energy, hence why Jupiter generates twice the amount of energy it receives from the Sun.

Hope this helps. Rule of thumb: If it has a magnetic field, it has a core of some kind. Mercury has a very large core but it does not move around a whole lot so its magnetic field is only 1% of Earth's.

Answer 2

We don't know for sure, but it is reasonable to assume a rocky core. First, rocky asteroids would have fallen into Jupiter over the ages and even if it did not start with a rocky core, it would have a small one just from that.

The inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are rocky so that material was available at the start of the solar system.

Finally, the inner planets probably started out as gas planets, but the solar wind close to the sun stripped most of their atmosphere. So the gas giants further out probably are gas giants only because of their size and remoteness from the sun, rocky core and all.

Answer 3

Space magnetic fields are generated by current flow inside planets and stars. Inside the Earth is a liquid iron outer core which acts as a dynamo to provide a magnetic field. Jupiter has a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen (a decent conductor) which is being fed a lot more energy from the core of the planet as well as being a lot bigger while the sun is a ball of plasma and plasma is electrically conductive. The differential rotation speed of the sun means that the field lines get all tangled up causing our 11 year solar cycle.

Answer 4

There's disagreement among scientists on this one, but I think most believe there is a solid, rocky core. Heavy elements will naturally gather at the core and be compressed. Arthur C. Clarke (author of 2001: A Space Odyssey) theorized that because carbon is one of the heaviest elements on Jupiter, the core may be a super-compressed ball of carbon, a.k.a. a diamond the size of the earth.

Most scientists don't agree with Clarke on that one, but it's an interesting idea so I thought I'd share.

Answer 5

Scientists believe that the core of Jupiter might be under so much pressure that it might be solid. But this is not a rocky core, like the Earth or Mars. This would be a core of solid hydrogen.

Solid hydrogen is a black, glassy solid.

Answer 6

It absolutely does have a solid core of metallic hydrogen, due to the enormous pressure near the center of the planet. As we move outward from the center, the hydrogen turns liquid, and then gradually decreases in density, turning into gaseous form.

In short, there is no "surface" on Jupiter, but its atmosphere itself turns "solid" at a deep enough level.

Answer 7

Yes it has a solid core, or shoemaker/levy would have passed right through instead of putting on the show that it did on impact.

Answer 8

Jupiter is a gas giant.

Answer 9

A gas giant. No solid core.

Answer 10

yes has a earth size core