What's Hidden Inside Planets?

A guided journey through the inner workings of Earth, the cloaked mysteries of other planets in our solar system, and beyond.

Extreme  heat. Extreme cold. Extreme pressure. Toxic gases. Scorching magma  flows, and ice volcanoes. Interior tides. Asteroids filled with gold. In  What's Hidden Inside Planets? planetary scientist Dr. Sabine Stanley cracks the surface to reveal the  beating heart of planets and what created them―from the building blocks  of swirling cosmic dust, pebbles, and gas to coalesced planetesimal  beginnings to the worlds we see today. We're only beginning to explore  the secretive interiors of planets, where awe-inspiring wonders await. 

Our  home planet is no exception. Earth, from space, looks like a shimmering  gem suspended in an inky, infinite expanse. But this serene image masks  the magnificent and volatile interior forces that make life possible  for millions of species on the surface. The placid appearances of our  neighboring planets similarly belie their powers―and science  fiction-worthy features, like diamond rain. The daily machinations of  Earth's deep interior make the planet a habitable, yet sometimes  treacherous, place to live. Drill down thousands of miles through our  built environments and soil, sand, water, rock, and minerals to the  outer (mainly liquid iron with nickel) and inner core, encountering  intense convection, roiling metals, hidden continents, and shifting  tectonic plates. Discover the effects of magnetism, rotation, and  seismic activity seen and sensed in the forms of auroras, hurricanes,  volcanoes, and earthquakes, among other manifestations. Our neighboring  planets boast their own fierce forces, along with moons covered by  frozen oceans that might someday reveal extraterrestrial life. 

Join  this exciting journey to far-flung interstellar locations and the  center of the Earth to learn what lies beneath our feet, and why it's  the best real estate in our solar system.