Have you ever dreamed of walking on other planets? Perhaps you’ve imagined yourself exploring the red sands of Mars or strolling through the rings of Saturn. But what if I told you that you couldn’t walk on some planets at all?
That’s right, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all gas giants, which means they have no solid surface to walk on. They’re made mostly of hydrogen and helium, with very thick atmospheres. If you tried to walk on one of these planets, you would just fall through the gas and eventually be crushed by the pressure.
So, what’s it like inside a gas giant? Imagine a giant ball of whipped cream. If you tried to walk on it, you would just sink through the cream and eventually hit the bottom of the bowl. The same is true for gas giants, except that the “cream” is made of hydrogen and helium.
The pressure inside a gas giant is also incredibly high. At the center of Jupiter, the pressure is about 200 million times the pressure at Earth’s sea level. That’s enough to crush anything solid into a tiny diamond.
So, if you’re ever planning a trip to the outer planets, be sure to pack your spaceship. You won’t be able to do much walking there.
