| Remember how heavy they are. That puts a great deal of pressure on the center, just as the earth has a great deal of pressure at its core. The earth's core is probably solid iron that's way above the melting point for iron at standard pressure. Similarly, the core of Jovian planets is probably mostly solid hydrogen. About 20 years ago there was a theory that, what with the organic compounds in Jupiter's atmosphere, and the electrical activity, there was quite possibly pure carbon floating in the atmosphere. If this made its way down to the core, then you'd have the solar system's biggest (industrial grade) diamond at the center of Jupiter. I don't know the status of the theory now, but it sounds cool. Of course, you couldn't ever see it unless you figured out how to vacuum up all of Jupiter's atmosphere. |
