Gaseous Planet?

I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo

"jojo" wrote in message
...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo


I've always heard it has no solid surface, but there may be a liquid one.

"jojo" wrote in message
...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo


I've always heard it has no solid surface, but there may be a liquid one.

jojo ) wrote...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo





Actually, it does have a surface of sorts. The "surface" is liquid
hydrogen.

See he http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiter/interior.html

-Chris Swartz

jojo ) wrote...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo





Actually, it does have a surface of sorts. The "surface" is liquid
hydrogen.

See he http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiter/interior.html

-Chris Swartz

"C.Swartz" wrote in message ...
jojo ) wrote...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo





Actually, it does have a surface of sorts. The "surface" is liquid
hydrogen.

See he http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiter/interior.html

The change from gas to liquid is said to be very gradual, you
probably wouldn't run into a "surface" of liquid hydrogen.
However, underneath the hydrogen is almost certainly a metallic
core of nickel and/or iron, since a body as large as Jupiter would
have accreted *lots* of metal over 4.5 billion years. So there is
likely a solid surface at some point, we just don't yet have the
technology to detect it.

Rick

"C.Swartz" wrote in message ...
jojo ) wrote...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo





Actually, it does have a surface of sorts. The "surface" is liquid
hydrogen.

See he http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiter/interior.html

The change from gas to liquid is said to be very gradual, you
probably wouldn't run into a "surface" of liquid hydrogen.
However, underneath the hydrogen is almost certainly a metallic
core of nickel and/or iron, since a body as large as Jupiter would
have accreted *lots* of metal over 4.5 billion years. So there is
likely a solid surface at some point, we just don't yet have the
technology to detect it.

Rick

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 13:31:49 GMT, jojo wrote:

I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Last I checked, the going guess was that there is a small rocky core, but
the vast bulk of the mass is gas, hence the term "gas giant".


--
- Mike

Remove 'spambegone.net' and reverse to send e-mail.

On Fri, 19 Sep 2003 13:31:49 GMT, jojo wrote:

I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Last I checked, the going guess was that there is a small rocky core, but
the vast bulk of the mass is gas, hence the term "gas giant".


--
- Mike

Remove 'spambegone.net' and reverse to send e-mail.

"Douglas A. Shrader" wrote in message ...
"jojo" wrote in message
...
I always read that Jupiter is a gaseous planet.
Does that mean that there is nor "surface"?
Just a big ball of gas from its core to its outer atmosphere?
or, a gaseous atmosphere?

Thanks,
jojo


I've always heard it has no solid surface, but there may be a liquid one.

Depends on your definition of "surface" it is believed that as the
atmosphere gets denser and denser the further down you go, there is no
sudden transition from gas to liquid and likewise from liquid to solid
deep near the core where hydrogen acts like a metal. I don't believe
that Galileo's atmospheric probe survived long enough to detect
anything resembling liquid.