Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Jupiter, unlike Earth, has no solid surface—just endless layers of turbulent gas. The immense gravitational pull holds this gas giant together without any ground to land on.
At over 1,000 times the volume of Earth, Jupiter’s mass is two and a half times that of all other planets combined, making it a cosmic behemoth between Mars and Saturn.
Jupiter’s atmosphere roils with storms and winds exceeding 400 mph, three times stronger than Earth’s fiercest hurricanes, creating a tempestuous environment.
As you go down into Jupiter’s thick atmosphere, pressure mounts like being submerged in an ocean of gas. Here, you would be crushed instantly by the overwhelming force.
Descend 1,000 miles, and Jupiter’s gas turns into liquid hydrogen, forming the largest ‘ocean’ in our solar system—though it contains no water.
20,000 miles down, hydrogen transforms into exotic liquid metal, a substance so rare that scientists have only recently managed to replicate it in laboratories.
Jupiter’s core, shrouded in mystery, is likely a searing, dense mix of liquid and metallic materials, with pressure 100 million times Earth’s atmosphere—hotter than the Sun’s surface.
Despite its hostile nature, Jupiter’s massive gravitational force shields Earth from stray asteroids and comets, potentially sparing us from extinction events like the dinosaur wipeout.
One of Jupiter’s moons, Europa, holds potential for life in its subsurface ocean. NASA’s Europa Clipper, arriving in 2030, may finally reveal if life exists in these icy depths.