Inside Uranus and Neptune Lie Oceans of Magma ⚡ экспресс
Uranus and Neptune are traditionally thought of as 'ice giants' due to their high volatile content. But scientists have proposed an alternative: deep inside, they harbor supercritical (under immense pressure and temperature) magma oceans rich in hydrogen, topped with thick hydrogen-helium envelopes. This model, using just three parameters per planet, simultaneously explains their radii, density, gravitational field, heat emission, and atmospheric composition. Turns out, ice giants are more like magma-ocean giants, and they form a single sequence with gas dwarfs like sub-Neptunes.
Previously, Uranus and Neptune were considered ice giants because of assumed thick layers of frozen water, methane, and ammonia. New calculations paint a different picture: deep inside them hides an ocean of hot magma, which under immense pressure has absorbed a colossal amount of hydrogen. This ocean is like superheated soda pop — only instead of syrupy soda, you have molten rock, and instead of carbon dioxide fizz, it's light hydrogen, making the whole mixture less dense.
This model neatly explains the planets' size, mass, heat, and even the composition of their atmospheres, where clouds of hydrogen and helium float. Now it's clear that these planets are the closest cousins of the many worlds discovered around other stars. And the most unexpected fact: inside this magmatic ocean, hydrogen is compressed so intensely that it turns into a metallic liquid — an excellent conductor of electricity. That's probably what produces the bizarre magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune, unlike Earth's.
🎯 Inside Uranus and Neptune, hydrogen is compressed into a metallic liquid, explaining their bizarre magnetic fields.