Have you ever dreamt about going to a place where no one has ever been before?
No, no, no.
I'm not referring to the planet Mars, since that's what Elon Musk and NASA are tasked
to figure out.
Why don't we travel far further than Mars instead?
Today, would you mind going to the gas giant Jupiter through a rocket?
Yes?
So, what are you waiting for?
Pack your belongings and prepare!
Because the rocket will launch in a few minutes!
Sit back, buckle up, and relax.
The rocket is launching on 3, 2, 1.
As we are launching, be reminded that going to the solar system's most intriguing planet
will take more than five years.
But don’t be stopped by that because this journey is going to be worthwhile.
Jupiter is known to be the largest planet in the solar system, and landing and having
a walk on its surface isn’t possible.
The gasses hydrogen and helium make up the majority of its atmosphere.
You might imagine that landing on Jupiter is similar to landing on a cloud.
And due to the fact that it's mostly composed of gas, we should be able to fly right through
Jupiter's atmosphere and out the other end, right?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but things aren’t that simple in this gas giant.
Now get ready because we're nearing Jupiter.
I like you to keep looking out the window until we've successfully entered its atmosphere.
Do you have any idea how large this planet is?
Well, the massive planet in front of you has a radius large enough to hold five and a half
of Earth-sized planets.
Moreover, if it's hollow inside, it could hold another 1,300 planets.
I could sense that as your knowledge of Jupiter grows, so does your desire to explore it.
So, let’s keep going.
Take a look at the white ovals that cover the surface.
Are you curious as to what they are?
We can call these Jupiter's jewels.
The southern hemisphere of Jupiter is surrounded by seven gigantic whirlwinds of beautiful
white color, which looks like a chain of pearls.
Could you see the famous Great Red Spot?
Its diameter is around 1.3 times larger than that of the Earth.
The Great Red Spot can be considered as a massive anticyclonic storm and the solar system's
greatest atmospheric whirlwind.
In just a few minutes, we’ll be diving into the depths of this giant planet.
As we enter Jupiter's upper atmosphere, I want you to hold on tight to your seats.
You may notice that the rocket is swaying dramatically at this point.
You may wonder why, well this is because we are traveling at a speed of almost 177 kilometers
per hour or about 110,000 miles per hour.
But don’t worry!
The spaceship's thick walls are responsible for keeping you safe from the turmoil outside.
However, keep in mind that we haven't even gotten close to Jupiter's real atmosphere,
but could you feel that?
It's already extremely hot.
It's not surprising, given that the temperature at this point is 727 degrees Celsius, or 1340
degrees Fahrenheit.
Are you starting to feel scared?
Because Jupiter revolves around its axis so quickly, like a spinning top, one day on this
planet lasts only 10 earth hours.
Additionally, the rate at which winds blow here is around 500 kilometers per hour or
more than 300 miles per hour.
The strongest hurricanes on Earth travel at 250 kilometers per hour or about 155 miles
per hour, yet that rate is doubled when talking about hurricanes on Jupiter.
But wait, did you notice something?
It’s a bit odd that as we travel deeper into the surface, the temperature appears
to be going down.
At this time, the temperature outside the rocket has reduced to negative 73 degrees
Celsius or negative 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the contrary, the pressure has grown.
As we leave Jupiter's stratosphere, we'll fly straight into its troposphere.
As we move deeper, you'll notice that the temperature, pressure, and wind speed seem
to increase.
But try to put that aside for a moment and enjoy the view.
Take a look at those dense ammonia clouds swirling around us.
Isn’t it beautiful?
Have you seen those flashes?
Well, that’s Jupiter's lightning.
It’s worth noting that those flashes are really powerful.
It actually can spread throughout Jupiter's atmosphere and can be as large as the United
States.
And with that, dear passenger, I like you to know that we've traveled 2 percent towards
the center of Jupiter, and I know there's obviously a lot more.
Unfortunately, this is where all of our previous researchers have reached.
Did you know that the spacecraft Galileo disconnected with the earth at 1162 kilometers or 722 miles
or 133 kilometers or 83 miles below visible clouds?
It was then destroyed by the planet's extreme pressures, and it was only able to stand for
about 58 minutes in Jupiter's deadly atmosphere.
Despite that, it was a remarkable achievement for mankind, a big step into new information.
It has been more than a decade since then, and I believe that technology has changed
and progressed over time, enough for our current spacecraft to stand a much longer battle into
this giant gas planet.
We have traveled 4000 kilometers or approximately 2,500 miles, so it isn’t the time to go
back.
We have no choice but to move even closer to Jupiter's center, which is also one of
space's greatest unsolved mysteries.
Jupiter's core is not just hot, it’s really really really hot.
The temperature outside our rocket has grown to 3371 degrees Celsius, which is equal to
6100 degrees Fahrenheit.
But don't be scared!
Our rocket is built of a super-strong material that is really durable and strong.
On the other hand, if the rocket’s material is weak, our journey in exploring this planet
would already stop here.
We couldn't see nearly anything now.
So, we could only navigate into this enormous stream instinctively.
Because all of the radio signals have been absorbed by the giant planet's environment
and most especially at this depth, we couldn’t connect with anyone and anything outside this
planet.
We can only continue to dive towards Jupiter’s depths, the only area on the planet where
no human foot has ever stepped and where no space probe has ever gone.
Take a look at that something.
It's a tremendous boiling ocean of some unknown material.
Keep in mind that we are in one of Jupiter's interior layers at a depth of more than 20,000
kilometers or roughly 12,500 miles.
Even the world's finest scientists would have a hard time explaining what actually happens
here.
Even though we haven't yet reached Jupiter's core, we can already feel the heat.
It's even hotter than the Sun's surface.
Moreover, its pressure is two million times that of the Earth's surface.
Because of these extreme conditions, the hydrogen in Jupiter's atmosphere undergoes such drastic
changes.
The atoms in hydrogen molecules become so close together that their electrons become
bonded, similar to that of a metal.
Thus, a new state of hydrogen called metallic hydrogen is formed.
Could you believe that the universe's lightest element is being squeezed and heated to the
point that it adopts the qualities of metal?
It’s really unimaginable.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a way to take a closer look at this ocean.
Why?
It’s because metallic hydrogen has the ability to reflect lights very effectively.
That means that no matter how intensely we turn the brightest spotlights, we won't be
able to see anything below.
Ninety percent of the light will just be reflected.
Oh, could you feel that?
Our spacecraft looks to have become stuck in some type of swamp, making us stationary.
It could be due to the tension between the planet's gravitational forces and the buoyancy
of hydrogen.
It's as though we're simultaneously descending into the core and being pushed upward into
the surface.
However, there is a debate on whether it truly is a swamp, especially since specialists have
compared its density to that of a rock.
Now, what would happen to the rocket?
It would continue to violently shake for a little more until coming to a complete stop
in Jupiter's center and becoming a free-floating body.
In this situation, we appear to be in a serious problem.
I think that it's best to teleport back to Earth right away before we run out of time
to save ourselves.
You could be wondering if there's something more interesting beneath the surface.
Of course, there's Jupiter's core.
However, no one knows what this massive planet's core contains because it has yet to be discovered.
Some experts believe the core is a molten liquid ball.
Others think it's a rocky object with a mass of 14 to 18 times that of the Earth.
A layer of metallic hydrogen may surround the dense center core, with a layer of molecular
hydrogen on top.
But one thing is certain: it's going to be really hot.
It can reach temperatures of up to 35,000 degrees Celsius or 63,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Even the core, according to reports, could not endure that extreme heat and it may melt.
It's sad that we can’t fly deeper and see everything for ourselves.
We could have settled the debate if only we could.
But, whatever the case may be, let's leave his mystery to be still a mystery.
So, is it possible for a rocket to reach Jupiter's core?
Well, It is evident that traveling in the center of Jupiter on a rocket is impossible.
In fact, the rocket could collide with the ocean of metallic hydrogen before we even
reach the center, and that kind of a journey could be very unhappy.
Nonetheless, we discovered some fascinating information about Jupiter.
First, there is a tremendous amount of pressure and overwhelming radiation.
Second, Jupiter had the solar system's greatest magnetic field, as well as unusually extreme
temperatures.
Of course, we have to mention its strong hurricanes and huge whirlwinds.
Lastly, Jupiter has a mixture that destroys and absorbs everything near to it.
At this point, we have to put our attention away from this massive boiling hydrogen caldron
and toward something else, like the space probes.
Have you heard about the spacecraft, Juno?
Since 2016, this spacecraft Juno has been exploring Jupiter's atmosphere and gathering
new information and discoveries.
When the spacecraft entered the magnetosphere of Jupiter, it heard the roar of Jupiter.
And the roar sounds like this.
You can also see the most beautiful and powerful Auroras in the entire solar system, and it's
all millions of kilometers away from Earth.
However, despite these many discoveries, Jupiter remains a difficult planet to explore, with
more questions remaining unanswered and just continuing to pile up.
What are your opinions if there would be other spacecraft going into this mission?
Do you think it will be able to penetrate Jupiter's core and unveil its secrets?
Tell us what you think in the comments section.
If you’re interested in exploring the unknown, don’t forget to like this video and subscribe
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