<p>Gas giants are believed to have a solid core. They first formed as icy planets, and were heavy enough to accrete hydrogen and helium from the protoplanetary cloud they were in. </p>

<p>Saturn, for instance, is thought to have a central dense core of 10  to  25  Earth  masses  that  was  probably  the  seed  of  the  formation  of  the  planet,  before  it  accreted  its  hydrogen-helium  envelope  from  the  protosolar  disk. (see <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.2020" rel="noreferrer">link</a>)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-01T17:06:06.250Z
Actually, the Juno probe found that Jupiter's core was less dense than expected, and diffused with the mantle instead of being one solid lump (see eg https://www.space.com/39348-juno-jupiter-mission-planet-revelations.html and https://www.space.com/37005-jupiter-fuzzy-core-nasa-juno.html and https://astronomynow.com/2019/08/17/a-core-warping-impact-in-jupiters-past/). This might have resulted from a collision with another large body. So gas giants may form large solid cores, but might not always retain them in that form.
Astrid_Redfern
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-31T17:02:28.717Z
2020-01-31T17:02:28.717Z
usernumber
<p>I have always wondered how Jupiter and the other gas giants worked when it came to having a core(If they have one). Would it be rocky or liquid, or can it be a gas. Every time I have asked this question to my teachers I have never gotten an exact answer.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-01T03:08:36.417Z
Deep inside a gas giant there can't be normal gas because the pressure (and hence the density) is far too high, so instead you get a supercritical fluid. Obviously, it's technically impractical to directly observe the core of any planet, but as usernumber's answer states we have good reason to believe that gas giants have rocky & metallic elements in their cores.
PM 2Ring
<planetary-science>
Do gas giants have a core?
Daosof
# Do gas giants have a core?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-31)

I have always wondered how Jupiter and the other gas giants worked when it came to having a core(If they have one). Would it be rocky or liquid, or can it be a gas. Every time I have asked this question to my teachers I have never gotten an exact answer.

**Tags:** planetary-science

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Deep inside a gas giant there can't be normal gas because the pressure (and hence the density) is far too high, so instead you get a supercritical fluid. Obviously, it's technically impractical to directly observe the core of any planet, but as username_2's answer states we have good reason to believe that gas giants have rocky & metallic elements in their cores.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-01-31. Score: 9

Gas giants are believed to have a solid core. They first formed as icy planets, and were heavy enough to accrete hydrogen and helium from the protoplanetary cloud they were in.

Saturn, for instance, is thought to have a central dense core of 10 to 25 Earth masses that was probably the seed of the formation of the planet, before it accreted its hydrogen-helium envelope from the protosolar disk. (see [link](https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.2020))

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: Actually, the Juno probe found that Jupiter's core was less dense than expected, and diffused with the mantle instead of being one solid lump (see eg https://www.space.com/39348-juno-jupiter-mission-planet-revelations.html and https://www.space.com/37005-jupiter-fuzzy-core-nasa-juno.html and https://astronomynow.com/2019/08/17/a-core-warping-impact-in-jupiters-past/). This might have resulted from a collision with another large body. So gas giants may form large solid cores, but might not always retain them in that form.  

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