Would Saturn Float In Water?
Understanding the nature of foreign worlds
This is a common quote that has some truth to it but fails to encapsulate the actual reality of giant, gaseous planets. To truly understand the nature of “gaseous” planets, you are going to have to use your imagination.
The “gases” we speak of actually do not exist in the gas state of matter that we are used to in our everyday life. The components of these planets are more of a gas/liquid mix leaning more towards a fluid consistency. This state of matter is referred too as a “critical point”. A crucial point is a state in which gases and liquid phases are not indistinguishable.
So will Saturn float? The statement is odd for several reasons. But let’s forget about the scientific oddity of this statement and address why this is a statement.
The fact is that by the numbers, water, as we know it on Earth, is denser than Saturn.
Density is the relationship between mass and volume. Buoyancy (an object’s ability to float) is the relationship between the density of the fluid and object and the weight of both the fluid and objects. Simply put, on Earth, if an object’s density is less than the density of water, that object will float.
