Jupiter is one of the giant gas planets in the Solar System, significantly larger than Earth and surrounded by a thick layer of gas. Consequently, passing through Jupiter is not an easy task.
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the four giant gas planets in the Solar System. They possess thick atmospheres, unlike Earth or any rocky planet in the system. Many people wonder if passing through them is akin to moving through a cloud, or if it is feasible to shoot a bullet through Jupiter. The answer to most situations is no.
Jupiter is not composed entirely of gas and is not easily penetrated by bullets. (Image: Vadim Sadovski/Frunze Anton Nikolaevich/IFLScience)
Like other gas giants, Jupiter is not made up of gas alone. Jupiter has a core and a mantle beneath its atmosphere. The dense core of the planet does not have a clearly defined boundary and blends with the overlying layer—an immense ocean of liquid metallic hydrogen. This ocean is estimated to be several tens of thousands of kilometers deep.
Metallic hydrogen is a special state of hydrogen that occurs under high pressure. This gas is liquefied and becomes similar to mercury, but it is only as dense as 60% of water and experiences immense pressure. Currently, there is no human technology that can withstand such conditions. Regarding the core, experts still need to conduct further precise measurements, but its radius could occupy up to half the radius of the entire planet. Therefore, shooting through the center of Jupiter is impossible.
The NASA spacecraft Juno, Galileo, and Cassini have provided scientists with information about the outer layers of Jupiter’s atmosphere. So, is it possible to shoot a bullet through these layers?
According to simple estimates, to maintain an orbit around Jupiter at the edge of the atmosphere, an object must move at a speed of 42.5 km per second. The fastest commercial bullet is still 30 times slower. Furthermore, if one were to pass through Jupiter, the object would be incinerated due to the temperatures in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere reaching 630 degrees Celsius.
The temperature then decreases, but wind speed and pressure increase. During the intentional “suicidal” dive in 2003, the Galileo spacecraft survived for about 58 minutes as it plunged into Jupiter’s atmosphere, descending to depths of 156 km, experiencing a pressure of 23 atm and a temperature of 153 degrees Celsius.
An average bullet would be stopped by a thick mass of water several meters deep. Therefore, unless using an extremely powerful gun and firing at a very shallow angle, the bullet would not be able to penetrate Jupiter. This planet has previously been struck by objects traveling faster than bullets. In 1994, Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter at a speed of 61.4 km per second. It left several marks on the atmosphere for a brief period, but debris from the impact still remains there. Researchers have even used this debris to measure wind speeds in Jupiter’s stratosphere.
