AboutJayendra Upadhye Expertise 1 - General questions on most astronomy topics such as:-
Solar system, Cosmology, Black holes, Quasars, Dark matter etc.
2 - General questions about the geologies of planets.
3 - General questions about Orbits and laws governing them.
4 - General questions about rockets / spaceships
5 - General questions about stellar interiors and supernovas.
Experience I was an askme.com expert rated no#1 for quite some time - and was top ten there by the time it closed - in Astronomy and general science categories.
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Engg. (Electrical engg), Maharaja Sayajirao university of Baroda, Gujarat, India.
Awards and Honors None to write about except the askme rating if it is any worth!
Question Why is Jupiter, for instance, not considered the size of its solid core, with all of its gas considered the atmosphere? How was it decided that some of the outer layers of gas are atmosphere, and gas layers within that are the actual planet? Thanks,
Paul
Answer Hi,
Paul that's only because the gas giants are all 95% and above, pure gas!
The rocky core (if at all there) is very very small.
Jupiter is 1000 times the earth in volume, but the "rocky part" is extremely small.
So is the case with saturn, uranus, neptune!
Pluto is ofcourse a "doubtful planet", & all ice.
In case of "planets with gas atmospheres, like earth, mars, venus, and to some extent mercury, the gas envelops are just that, "envelops".
They form such a thin layer compared to the planet's main body, that the earth's atmosphere actually is akin to the skin of a soap bubble.
And follows the rules of fluid flow within the skins of soap bubbles.
There is a word for that, but my memory plainly fails me.
[may be you can dig it up on the web].
In case of gas giants, the "envelop" IS the main body of the planet!
Hope that suffices.
Please do rate the answer if you find it helpful.
regards
Jayen
