What Happens Deep Inside Jupiter

Jupiter has no solid surface like Earth’s crust: the visible clouds gradually give way to denser and hotter layers of hydrogen and helium. As pressure rises, hydrogen enters an electrically conducting metallic state; the transition is thought to be gradual rather than a sharp boundary. Convection in the conducting hydrogen, together with the planet’s rapid rotation, drives a dynamo that produces Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field. Juno continues to refine our understanding of the planet’s interior and the exact properties of its core.