Gas giants and stars are primarily composed of gas and plasma, respectively. Gas giants may possess liquid or potentially solid cores, but their overall structure is dominated by gaseous materials. Stars, on the other hand, consist entirely of plasma, where electrons are not bound to atoms, and their cores can contain heavier elements due to gravitational compression. The compactness of these celestial bodies is maintained by gravitational forces, which act on mass regardless of its state.
PREREQUISITESAstronomers, astrophysicists, students of planetary science, and anyone interested in the composition and behavior of gas giants and stars.
Some gas giants have liquid cores. Some may potentially have solid cores. But for the most part, they're primarily made out of gas. If you ever fell into a gas giant, you'd likely be crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere long before you struck anything solid (or liquid).Allen_Wolf said:Are the gas giants and stars only composed of gas particles? Don't they have a solid crust or something? If they don't have a solid part then how can they exist alone?
But how can they stay compact even without a solid core?Chalnoth said:Some gas giants have liquid cores. Some may potentially have solid cores. But for the most part, they're primarily made out of gas. If you ever fell into a gas giant, you'd likely be crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere long before you struck anything solid (or liquid).
Stars are too hot for anything like this. They're composed of plasma, which is a form of matter where electrons aren't bound to atoms. Stars may have differing compositions (heavier elements tend to fall towards the cores of stars), but they're composed of plasma through-and-through.
How do you think stars are held together? Why do you think Earth has an atmosphere?Allen_Wolf said:But how can they stay compact even without a solid core?
A mass is a mass whatever state it is in, and where there is mass there is gravity.Allen_Wolf said:But how can they stay compact even without a solid core?