Gas giant

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/gas-giant

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the internal energy source?Gravitational contraction and internal heat from formation, not nuclear fusion (unlike stars)
2. What are gas giants?Gas giants are huge planets mostly made of hydrogen and helium, like Jupiter and Saturn.
3. Why do gas giants have strong magnetic fields?Inside gas giants, hydrogen turns into liquid metallic hydrogen under extreme pressure, which can conduct electricity and creates powerful magnetic fields.

Protoplanetary Disk: A rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star.
Deuterium Fusion: A low-temperature nuclear fusion process involving isotopes of hydrogen, characteristic of brown dwarfs.
Astrobiology: The scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.