It is a planet composed of gases, unlike rocky ones like Earth. Inside there is a solid core and, around it, the gases (hydrogen, helium and methane) assume different physical states, according to temperature and pressure conditions. The four largest planets in the Solar System are gaseous. On Jupiter and Saturn, a hypothetical astronaut could not walk, only dive into their liquid surface. On Uranus and Neptune he would find rock and ice.
Know the characteristics of the gaseous planets of the Solar System
– (Frank William/Weirdworld)
1) Energetic Jupiter
It is composed of 85% hydrogen, being gaseous on the surface and liquid in the lower layer, the mantle. Surrounding the core is metallic hydrogen, which can conduct energy. Jupiter is also composed of helium, which appears in liquid and gaseous forms, water and ammonia.
2) Sulfuric Saturn
It has helium and hydrogen in abundance. The yellowish tinge is a result of sulfur clouds and the famous rings are made of ice and rock. The surface, like Jupiter, is gaseous.
3) Icy Uranus
The atmosphere has methane clouds and far less hydrogen and helium than Jupiter and Saturn – only 15% of its composition. The increased density and pressure causes the methane in the mantle to be solid, which gives the appearance of a large glacier. No wonder the average temperature on the planet is -220°C
4) Neptune
Similar to Uranus, but with higher density. It has an atmosphere rich in hydrogen and helium. Scientists believe that the core is solid, formed of ice and rocks, as in Uranus. The mantle is also similar to that of the neighbor
QUESTION Guilherme Silva, Tubarão, SC
SOURCES Books Originsby Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astronomy for Dummiesby Stephen P. Maran, Small Atlas of the Solar Systemby E. Ivo Alves, Physics of the Solar Systemby B. Bertotti, Paolo Farinella and David Vokrouhlicky, The Solar System: A Descriptive Treatiseby John Russell Hind