Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

lmunck t1_j6tk0gi wrote

Is it theoretically possible to live outside in the atmosphere of a gas giant if it was breathable and you had some sort of floating platform, and if so, what kind of properties would such a planet need to have?

I’m thinking wind speeds and radiation would be a problem, but I’m curious if there are any other considerations and what a plausible scenario could look like, if there is one.

1

mfb- t1_j6vnsh4 wrote

Gas giants with a breathable atmosphere would look different from our current gas giants, but you can wear an oxygen mask. Wind would be a concern. Radiation is okay if you get sufficient shielding from the atmosphere. Temperature is a problem unless you are pretty deep in the atmosphere or have a good suit. Saturn's "surface" gravity is just a few percent larger than Earth's, that should be fine. On Jupiter you have 2.5 g however, that is a big problem.

2

somewhat_random t1_j6w3y12 wrote

As long as you are creating a bespoke planet, make it the right size and the right distance from the right sized sun with the right gas mix and it is possible that a breathable atmosphere at a livable temperature will exist at an elevation so that the gas pressure is one atmosphere.

You can float at this pressure so yes it is possible.

You would have to deal with wind though but it may be possible with the correct gas mix, spin, solar distance etc that wind could be minimized. Gas giants (well at least the ones we know about) tend to be pretty stormy.

1