BETA
Chapter 1
Jupiter's metallic hydrogen ocean
Chapter 2
Saturn's diamond rain and helium storm
Chapter 3
Uranus and Neptune's hot icy mantles
Chapter 4
The fuzzy cores at the center
YOUR GOAL
Master of Inside the gas giants
Ch 2 · Saturn's diamond rain and helium storm
artiteacher Saturn's Diamond Rain
Lightning strikes the methane, squeezing the soot until it's raining diamonds down on Saturn!
artiteacher Extreme pressure in Saturn's atmosphere turns carbon into falling diamonds.
Fun Fact
Saturn's density: Saturn is less dense than water, meaning that if you could find a bathtub large enough, the giant planet would actually float in it.
Glossary
diamond (noun)
A precious stone consisting of a clear, crystalline form of pure carbon. On Saturn, extreme atmospheric pressures crush falling carbon soot into these precious gemstones.
A precious stone consisting of a clear, crystalline form of pure carbon. On Saturn, extreme atmospheric pressures crush falling carbon soot into these precious gemstones.
Gossip
Which cosmic weather event sounds most exciting to experience from a safe ship?
Quiz
What element cracks from methane in Saturn's atmosphere to eventually form diamonds?
Quiz
Why does Saturn radiate more than twice the heat energy it receives from the Sun?
Quiz
What happens to the falling diamonds when they reach the extreme depths of Saturn?
Quiz
Which spacecraft confirmed in 2004 that Saturn's upper atmosphere lacks helium?
Quiz
Compared to water, how would you describe the overall density of the planet Saturn?
Quiz
What pressure is needed to compress falling carbon into solid diamonds inside Saturn?