Questions regarding massive planets composed of layers of gases, such as hydrogen and helium, surrounding a solid/liquid core.
Questions tagged [gas-giants]
119 questions
22
votes
2 answers
Where do we define the "surface" of a gas planet?
Since gas giant consist of most gas components, where do we establish their "surface"?
My take is basically to take the limit in which all light is opaque. For example, in this photo:
The surface, then, will be the limit of the black blackground…

Carlos Vázquez Monzón
- 1,850
- 16
- 26
4
votes
1 answer
Floating Masses in Gas Giants
This may be a very stupid question, as I know little about astrophysics, but if solids like Aerogel can float in gasses like sodium hexafluoride, could there be pressures high enough on gas giants to compress a gas to the point where solid particles…

William Grannis
- 143
- 4
1
vote
0 answers
What if Jupiter and other gas planets suddenly disappear?
What will happen to us?
Jupiter, for example, take away comets from their path, so they will not hit earth.
What else can/cannot happen? Have they any purpose for us?

Martin54
- 207
- 1
- 6
0
votes
2 answers
What would a gas giant consisting of only earths atmosphere look like?
Putting aside how such a planet could be formed and just lets assume it exists.
What would an gas giant "look" like if it just consisted of the gas compound earths atmosphere consists of.
Could we just watch through it?
Would we see a burning core…

Zaibis
- 370
- 2
- 14
0
votes
1 answer
Is carbon dioxide gas giants possible?
Is it possible that a planet originally full of water, and the solar winds decompose the water and hydrogen escapes out, then the oxygen combines with carbon at crust, just like Venus but the whole planets are mostly carbon dioxide and hence become…

Gstestso
- 2,209
- 12
- 24
-1
votes
1 answer
Why are gas giants (Jovian planets) spherical in shape?
If the core of the gas giant was square for instance, would the planet be square too?

Lucas Tan
- 147
- 6
-1
votes
2 answers
Is a Gas Giant a Perpetual Motion Machine?
I know there's no such thing like a perpetual motion machine but I missing something in my reasoning.
Assume there's a gas giant planet where the immense pressure of the core causes it to heat and create a convection current of its gases.
If there's…

jean
- 141
- 7