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LumberjackWeezy t1_j1l7lz5 wrote

Reply to comment by erunaheru in Is it possible for a large terrestrial planet, like a super earth, to have a gas moon? by The-Sturmtiger-Boi

I heard metallic hydrogen was a possibility.

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j1m5cv5 wrote

The inner core of Jupiter is likely rock around the diameter of Earth. The outer core is liquid metallic hydrogen: not quite dense enough to be a complete plasma (electrons stripped from the atoms), but dense enough to act as a metal in the chemistry sense of the word (electrons can flow freely). This is why Jupiter has such a strong magnetic field, as magnetic fields require liquid metal that moves (Jupiter rotates in around 10 hours).

In fact, if you use an old TV with bunny ears to pick up the broadcasts, and you tune it to a station without anything so you see the snow, that snow is composed of / caused by three things: the Sun’s magnetic field, Jupiter’s magnetic field, and the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).

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OtisTetraxReigns t1_j1q8ovb wrote

That inner core would be liquid rock, no? Must be insanely hot in there.

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j1qgsng wrote

I mean, the Earth’s inner core is solid due to the high pressure. My understanding is that gas giants’ cores are also solid due to the even higher pressure.

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