Posted: Wed, Mar 24, 2010, 7:20 AM ET (1120 GMT)
Liquid helium precipitating out of Jupiter's upper atmosphere may explain the relative lack of neon there, scientists said this week. University of California Berkeley researchers said that new models of the giant planet's structure showed that helium condenses into droplets and descends into the planet's interior. Mixed into the helium droplets are neon molecules, which can explain why the planet's upper layers contain less neon than expected.

Related Links:

•  Los Angeles Times article
•  Astronomy Now article
•  Univ. of California Berkeley press release