Gaseous giant planets are a large planetary family. Formed in gas-rich protoplanetary disks, gaseous giant planets bear a lot of similarities to late-type, convection-dominant dwarf stars. However, owing to their molecular compositions, lower mass and fast spin, gaseous planets have richer atmospheric and interior dynamics, which are related to fundamental planetary physics puzzles such as core dilution, Helium depletion and dynamo processes etc. In our Solar system, we luckily have two typical gaseous giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, which are reachable by spacecrafts. As a result, in past decades, our understanding of gaseous planets has kept being improved by relevant space missions. The JUNO and Cassini missions are the most recent two explorations of Jupiter and Saturn respectively. Their observations of the planetary outer space, surface, atmosphere and deep interior have been unprecedentedly precise and detailed. With the help of outcoming data, our perceptions of Jupiter and Saturn have been dramatically updated and clarified. But at meanwhile, disputes, doubts and puzzles nevertheless exist or somehow are even more intensified. The fast-broadening horizon for theories and explorations is calling for smart scientific ideas and sophisticated aerospace technologies.

BIO
Dr. Dali Kong obtained his BSc degree from Department of Astronomy, Nanjing University in 2008. He then spent time in University of Exeter, UK and earned the PhD degree in Applied Mathematics in 2012. After that, Dr. Kong carried on with his research fellowship in the Centre for Geophysical and Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics, University of Exeter. In 2017, Dr. Kong took up a position of research scientist and relocated to Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By October 2018, Dr. Kong has authored 42 peer-reviewed publications. He was awarded the 2016 Royal Astronomical Society Winton Capital Prize (G) for his contribution in studies of gaseous planets.