What is at the centre of a gas giant planet like Jupiter?

Things start to get weird in the extreme pressure of Jupiter’s core.


Asked by: Liam Farmer, Nottingham

This is one of the key questions astronomers hope to resolve with data from NASA’s Juno mission, currently orbiting Jupiter. Jupiter’s atmosphere is made up of around 90 per cent hydrogen and 10 per cent helium, so computer models suggest its core may be made from metallic hydrogen, a bizarre form of the element thought to exist at extreme pressures.

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