What is at the Core of Jupiter?
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the most massive, equivalent to just under 320 Earths. The portion of the planet we can see — the cloud tops — is composed of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium. Being a gas giant, Jupiter’s composition is more similar to the composition of stars and the universe in general, in contrast to rocky planets such as Earth, primarily composed of heavy elements such as oxygen, silicon, nickel, and iron. Being the most massive planet, Jupiter’s interior is highly pressurized, making it very hot. The Jovian interior is approximately 71% hydrogen, 24% helium and 5% other elements by mass. The core of Jupiter is thought to be primarily iron, the heaviest element found in significant quantities in the solar system. If you were to travel to the core of Jupiter, starting at the upper atmosphere, one of the first observations you might make are increasing levels of helium with depth. About 1,000 km (621 mi), the hydrogen making up the majority of Jupiter’s atmosp
