The Mystery of Jupiter's Massive Magnetic Field

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has a magnetic field that is 20,000 times stronger than that of Earth.

This means the planet's magnetosphere, the region of space where its magnetic field is dominant, is so large that the sun itself could fit inside it.

In fact, when aligned with the sun, it extends past the orbit of Saturn.

There's no iron at Jupiter's core to generate such a magnetic field, instead, it's thought to come from the metallic hydrogen that makes up most of the planet.

Under such an enormous pressure that is so intense, the hydrogen acts like a metal.

This metallic hydrogen creates currents that generate the planet's magnetic field.

Jupiter's strong magnetic field, combined with its rapid rotation of just 9.8 Earth hours, leads to the brightest aurora in our solar system..