Jupiter, Is it a small planet?

**trog** · 04-07-2006, 03:00 AM

Is Jupiter a small planet with a very large atmosphere? I heard the core or actual planet maybe about the size of earth.

Of course in the film 2001, Thats exactly how they tell the story. Some say the atmosphere is so dense, it would crush anything we send like a tin can. A human in the jupiter atmosphere would weigh about 10,000 times its weight then on earth.

Is that true? If it isnt true, How come we have not penatrated its atmosphere and videotape whats underneath. Perhaps its just nothing but swirling gas. No solid core. if that was the case, then would Jupiter be sort of a cold star instead of a planet?

What if we were able to fly in a probe, get underneath all that gas, film the planet beneath and fly back out. Im sure signals cant pass through that atmosphere but if you could fly under the cieling, take photos or video then fly above it and send back the video, We might finally know what the hell is going on. Perhaps, We can fly something into the on going storm. Im wondering if its a volcano that is forming a vortex of some type.

**a_skeptic** · 04-07-2006, 03:04 AM

Actually, while there may be a small (realitivly speaking) core of super-dense liquid in Jupiter. More appropriatly, it could be called a small Brown Dwarf (a failed star).

**a_skeptic** · 04-07-2006, 03:20 AM

Trog, did you know that if Jupiter had been about 25% bigger it could have ignighted into a star itself? This system would be a binary system, and sadly, life on Earth would have not evolved, due to the proximity of the two stars.

**trog** · 04-07-2006, 03:20 AM

Originally posted by a_skeptic
[b]Actually, while there may be a small (realitivly speaking) core of super-dense liquid in Jupiter. More appropriatly, it could be called a small Brown Dwarf (a failed star).

But dont planets Orbit around stars? How is it this fail star become apart of our solar system? Pretty wild. Perhaps its size is what drew those asteroids into it.

**trog** · 04-07-2006, 03:21 AM

Originally posted by a_skeptic
[b]Trog, did you know that if Jupiter had been about 25% bigger it could have ignighted into a star itself? This system would be a binary system, and sadly, life on Earth would have not evolved, due to the proximity of the two stars.

didnt know that. Still, We dont know there is liquid under the clouds. How can we probe underneath it? can it be done with our technology today?

**a_skeptic** · 04-07-2006, 03:22 AM

Well, Trog, many binary stars exibit what's know as a trojan orbit in that as the stars rotate, the orbit each other. In other words, they would trade places, slowly as if a they had a beam between then that spun at the center.

**a_skeptic** · 04-07-2006, 03:24 AM

Originally posted by trog
[b]didnt know that. Still, We dont know there is liquid under the clouds. How can we probe underneath it? can it be done with our technology today?

No, Jupiter would crush something that traveled far enough into it like a soda can. At the core of jupiter is a super hot core of liquid metallic hydrogen, thus giving Jupiter it's eminse gravatational field.

EDIT: Trog, here's a site that talks about Jupiter's core.

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/ju...r/interior.html

**Mr.T** · 04-07-2006, 09:18 AM

Ive allways thought Jupiter could have a planet in there somewhere, even if its a rock, it could still hold life, though obviously not what we know! its big enough to hold about a million earths or something.....so i would imagine that somewhere in jupiter there is a planet infested with life! wicked.

**Mr.T** · 04-07-2006, 09:20 AM

Originally posted by a_skeptic
[b]No, Jupiter would crush something that traveled far enough into it like a soda can. At the core of jupiter is a super hot core of liquid metallic hydrogen, thus giving Jupiter it's eminse gravatational field.

EDIT: Trog, here's a site that talks about Jupiter's core.

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/ju...r/interior.html

didnt see your post mate, damn thats some hot s##t! some kind of life could live in the hotness.....

**a_skeptic** · 04-07-2006, 09:21 AM

I doubt it T, the gravametirc pull of Jupiter is only surpassed by that of the Sun in this solar system, and that would make the devlopment of life their near impossible.