Jupiter: Gas Planet? Landing Possibility & Facts

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    Gas Jupiter Planet
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SUMMARY

Jupiter is definitively classified as a gas planet, with no solid surface to walk on due to extreme conditions. The internal structure of Jupiter suggests a solid core, but the immense pressure of 3000 GPa and temperatures reaching 35,000 K make it impossible for any human-made structure to survive. While various objects, including comets, have impacted Jupiter, no spacecraft has successfully landed on its surface. Current models of Jupiter's structure are based on well-established laws of gravitation and extensive observational data.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gas giant characteristics
  • Familiarity with planetary science terminology
  • Knowledge of gravitational laws
  • Awareness of extreme environmental conditions on celestial bodies
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the internal structure of gas giants using resources like the Wikipedia page on Jupiter
  • Explore the arXiv article on gas giant structures for advanced insights
  • Study the effects of extreme pressure and temperature on materials
  • Investigate the history and findings of missions to gas giants, such as the Galileo spacecraft
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, planetary scientists, educators, and anyone interested in the physical characteristics and exploration of gas giants like Jupiter.

Zeref
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How do we know for sure that that it's not possible to walk on Jupiter and that it is a gas planet?
Did something ever land on it?
 
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Welcome to PF;
We can be absolutely certain that Jupiter is a "gas planet" because that is a matter of semantics not Nature.

Have you looked up the internal structure of Jupiter?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter#Internal_structure
... Jupiter is thought to have a solid core.

Our level of certainty about the current model for Jupiter, such as it is, actually being a fair representation of the factual Jupiter, rests on well tested Laws of Nature, like gravitation, and the observations that have been possible. There may be some differences in the details but the major brush strokes are pretty solid.

I don't think anyone is saying that walking on the core is "impossible" exactly... it's just that 3000GPa (3000,000,000 atmos) pressure and 35,000K temperatures are a wee bit of a barrier. If we could come up with a structure capable of withstanding that, there is still the matter of the remaining 12-45g gravity. But there should be something to walk on.

A number of objects have "landed" on Jupiter ... most prominently a comet.
Well ... more sort of ... crash... really...
 
Last edited:
If you really want to learn about it, there is an excellent review article on the structure of the gas giants that has just been posted on the arXiv:

http://arxiv.org/abs/1405.3752
 

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