Harry Coumnas, a planetary scientist from Columbia has revealed that diamonds fall from the sky on the gas giant, Jupiter. He says that the conditions on this planet are favorable to produce stable oceans of diamonds. He claims that the powerful lightning storms in the atmosphere results in the formation of carbon, which drifts down through the gas present in the planet. The pressure that exists on the planet crushes the carbon particles causing them to form chucks of diamonds. At even greater depths, these diamonds eventually melt down (near the core of the planet) forming a stable ocean layer.
Harry Coumnas has performed rigorous experiments on how diamonds change their state at extreme pressures and temperatures. While shedding light on the subject of diamond rains on Jupiter, he said in one of his interviews, “Diamond rains on Jupiter begin in the upper atmosphere when lightning strikes methane, turning it into carbon. The high pressure on the planet turns carbon into graphite. After falling from another layer of atmosphere, the pressure is so great that graphite turns into diamonds. These diamonds continue to fall until they reach the core. At this point, the pressure and temperature is so high that the diamonds turn into a sea of liquid carbon.”
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