The subtle taste of Jupiter

Abstract

Planets, like wines, mature with time. On 7 December last year, a probe from the Galileo spacecraft tasted Jupiter, revealing that at least in one place and epoch the planet is flavoured less richly than many expected. Preliminary results, discussed at a news conference on 22 January, reveal lower amounts of oxygen (as water), sulphur, helium and neon than presupposed, all measured relative to the overwhelmingly abundant hydrogen. Tiny but possibly high levels of xenon and krypton complicate the picture. But in all these subtle additives lies a wealth of information about how Jupiter and like planets form and evolve.

Additional details