Jupiter's core consists of rocky material like that from which the terrestrial planets formed. How does Jupiter's core compare with Earth?
A) It constitutes the bulk of Jupiter's mass, even though its radius is only a few percent of Jupiter's.
B) It is considerably larger in mass than Earth but only a small fraction of Jupiter's total mass.
C) Because most of the terrestrial materials were in the inner part of the solar nebula, Jupiter's core is smaller than Earth in both size and mass.
D) Because of Jupiter's enormous rate of spin, the core is not spherical. So, the size is difficult to compare to Earth, but the core's mass appears to be smaller than Earth's mass.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jupiter's core is significantly larger in mass than Earth, reflecting the planet's overall larger size and mass. However, it constitutes only a small fraction of Jupiter's total mass, which is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium gas.

Jupiter's Core Consists of Rocky Material Like That from Which