Why is Jupiter a planet?

Originally posted by AnonUK
Fair enough it may orbit, have weather etc but that dont stop me from not agreeing with it being a planet.

If it has land mass then great

When I hear "Wandering star", the first thing that comes to mind is land mass.

Really?

reply to post by jiggerj


what about the astroids that hit jupiter they must be in there somewhere

Have you ever really looked at what makes up Jupiter? To say it is "nothing but gas" is a misstatement when you consider the reality.

Yes, hydrogen is known as a "gas". However, it doesn't always have to be in a gaseous state. You can create a solid state out of anything, and can turn anything into a gas or a plasma (i would presume, anyway).

On Jupiter, a large portion of the hydrogen, as an example, is actually "metallic hydrogen". It is a weird state of crystallization for the hydrogen molecule. And it is wholly solid (and very dense).

I would say that you would need to first (re)define what a gas is. Then go from there.

Originally posted by winofiend
Well it fits the definition of a planet. It's

The definition of planet set in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) states that, in the Solar System, a planet is a celestial body which:

* is in orbit around the Sun,
* has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape), and
* has "cleared the neighbourhood" around its orbit.

You mean kinda like Rosie O'donnel?

reply to post by jiggerj


it has mass, a gravitational center, and it orbits the sun.

might be a dumb question

but if jupiter is all gas and no solids

why did shoemaker-levy 9 blow up when it hit

and what did it blow into the atmosphere?

and i think i remember seeing the holes it left behind

holes in what?

reply to post by winofiend


No, I guess I didn't notice. So, here's my beef, while bearing in mind that I didn't actually check for any definitions or anything: If one were standing on another planet, would Earth still not be a celestial body or a planet? Or is this only an Earth-centric term because we live on Earth?

Would another planet's inhabitants who just discovered Earth via telescope say, "Oh, that's not a planet.." ?

Riddle me that!

Originally posted by Druscilla
reply to post by jiggerj

 

I'm fairly sure there's been speculation that Jupiter and Saturn are failed Brown Dwarf stars.

I'm not sure if that speculation has come to rest or not, but, Brown Dwarfs or no, they orbit the Sun like other planets, so, as our understanding of the solar system was what it was in the early days, if it orbited the sun, it was a planet.

Thus so.

Yup, though I'm thinking of doing an Occupy science until they change Jupiter from a planet into a gas-filled balloon, without the balloon!

By the by, isn't the universe filled with hydrogen? How could it gather in one place like in Jupiter?

Originally posted by SplitInfinity
reply to post by jiggerj

 

As far as Classifications....They have broken our Solar System down to 8 Planets with Pluto becoming part of the Kupier Belt or Ort Cloud Planetoids.

Jupiter is so Massive that if it were to be a bit more massive it might have the ability to become a Star. A Star after all is a large enough amount of gas...mostly Hydrogen that by it's own Gravity Well is capable of creating enough pressure to start a Fusion Reaction. This being Hydrogen being Fused into Helium and a immense Thermonuclear Reaction that becomes a Star.

There are so many Moons around certain Planets and there are Planetoids in the Kupier Belt and Ort Cloud that are larger than Mercury that it is just a matter of Classification.

Split Infinity

Good stuff, Split. Can you tell us how a bunch of gas can generate so much gravity? I mean, it's GAS! How much mass could Jupiter have, and it's the mass that makes the gravity, right?

maybe it has a CORE that DOES not WANT disturbed or observed? YET? My 2 cents (Dyson sphere)?

86 percent hydrogen......Wouldn't it have exploded from that big flash a couple of days ago when that asteroid hit it? Maybe it's an old burnt out star or possibly it will be a star in the future?

Originally posted by maryhinge
reply to post by jiggerj

 

what about the astroids that hit jupiter they must be in there somewhere

I've thought of that too, but it has to be so minimal as to be irrelevant. From what I've seen of the documentary so far, it seems Jupiter catches and releases most of the items caught in its gravity.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
Have you ever really looked at what makes up Jupiter? To say it is "nothing but gas" is a misstatement when you consider the reality.

Yes, hydrogen is known as a "gas". However, it doesn't always have to be in a gaseous state. You can create a solid state out of anything, and can turn anything into a gas or a plasma (i would presume, anyway).

On Jupiter, a large portion of the hydrogen, as an example, is actually "metallic hydrogen". It is a weird state of crystallization for the hydrogen molecule. And it is wholly solid (and very dense).

I would say that you would need to first (re)define what a gas is. Then go from there.

Thanks, BigF. I've never even heard of metallic hydrogen. So, I did a search and came up with this about Jupiter:

Above the core lies the main bulk of the planet in the form of liquid metallic hydrogen. This exotic form of the most common of elements is possible only at pressures exceeding 4 million bars, as is the case in the interior of Jupiter (and Saturn). Liquid metallic hydrogen consists of ionized protons and electrons (like the interior of the Sun but at a far lower temperature). At the temperature and pressure of Jupiter's interior hydrogen is a liquid, not a gas. It is an electrical conductor and the source of Jupiter's magnetic field. This layer probably also contains some helium and traces of various "ices". Read more about Jupiter l Jupiter facts, pictures and information. by nineplanets.org

So, it's not a gas, but a big freakin' ocean!

nineplanets.org...

Originally posted by maryhinge
reply to post by jiggerj

 

what about the astroids that hit jupiter they must be in there somewhere

Just found a site claiming that Jupiter does have a rock core. I feel better now.

nineplanets.org...

Does this atmosphere make me look fat?

As others have mentioned, there is some planet stuff deep down in there. It's a catchers mitt for comets and other debris. Even man made debris. There is somewhat of a surface under all that gas..It may be transitional...From gas to liquid to solid...but I can agree with planet status...Otherwise, we'd have to come up with an even bigger list of things that orbit the Sun..

Originally posted by goou111
might be a dumb question

but if jupiter is all gas and no solids

why did shoemaker-levy 9 blow up when it hit

and what did it blow into the atmosphere?

and i think i remember seeing the holes it left behind

holes in what?

edit on 12-9-2012 by goou111 because: (no reason given)

I thought of all that too! And I just found that Jupiter is mostly an ocean of metallic hydrogen, not a gas. But that still doesn't account for that Shoemaker-levy 9 comet burning the outer surface the way it did.

Plus, the documentary says there's lightning on Jupiter. With all that atmosphere of gases, how come the lightning doesn't set the whole planet on fire?

Originally posted by Druscilla
reply to post by jiggerj

 

I'm fairly sure there's been speculation that Jupiter and Saturn are failed Brown Dwarf stars.

I'm not sure if that speculation has come to rest or not, but, Brown Dwarfs or no, they orbit the Sun like other planets, so, as our understanding of the solar system was what it was in the early days, if it orbited the sun, it was a planet.

Thus so.

I wonder how close it came to igniting

My question in all this is, if jupiter us nothing more than a gas cloud then how do comets and meteors keep crashing into it, I mean if it is a big ball of gas wouldn't comets and meteors just pass right through it?

Originally posted by NarcolepticBuddha
I might've known this thread was yours haha. Jupiter, like other planets, orbits the sun. That's my answer. I don't know if that's correct or not. This gas bubble is in orbit.

But wait! Why isn't Pluto a planet again?

edit on 12-9-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

edit on 12-9-2012 by NarcolepticBuddha because: (no reason given)

Pluto was considered a planet because it was once a satellite of Neptune. Long long ago.

reply to post by DonVoigt


Do you think the sun which all planets in our solar system orbit has a fair amount of mass. Guess what it's made out of mostly.....hydrogen and then what helium that's about it really. There is enough mass in the sun to basically squeeze the hydrogen so densely it fuses maybe Jupiter wasn't able pull that stunt off yet it does have plenty of mass to reach densities that will easily crush and destroy just about anything that gets tossed at it.

It's not just a planet it is a gas giant. Scientists do recognize that it is different in form than the Earth