{"id":24805,"date":"2021-11-06T23:23:39","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:23:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/new-science-from-juno-provides-insight-into-atmospheric-processes-on-jupiter\/"},"modified":"2021-11-06T23:23:39","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:23:39","slug":"new-science-from-juno-provides-insight-into-atmospheric-processes-on-jupiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/new-science-from-juno-provides-insight-into-atmospheric-processes-on-jupiter\/","title":{"rendered":"New science from Juno provides insight into atmospheric processes on Jupiter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a series of newly released papers from a science team on NASA\u2019s Juno mission, new data is helping researchers discover how Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere functions underneath the planet\u2019s thick upper cloud layer.<\/p>\n<p>The papers were published in the journals of Geophysical Research: Planets as well as Geophysical Research Letters and shine light on the gas giant\u2019s inner atmosphere, cloud belts, polar cyclones, and its iconic Great Red Spot.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEach paper sheds light on different aspects of the planet\u2019s atmospheric processes \u2013 a wonderful example of how our internationally-diverse science teams strengthen understanding of our solar system,\u201d said Lori Glaze, director of NASA\u2019s planetary science division.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese new observations from Juno open up a treasure chest of new information about Jupiter\u2019s enigmatic observable features.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Juno mission launched in August 2011 on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket and entered orbit of Jupiter in 2016 after a 5-year cruise.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=haygenwarren&amp;dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1453839396206104578&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasaspaceflight.com%2F2021%2F11%2Fjuno-science-atmosphere%2F&amp;sessionId=e982b29043f9bc766aeeeceed93ccaf637a35fbe&amp;siteScreenName=NASASpaceflight&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\" data-tweet-id=\"1453839396206104578\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\" data-twitter-extracted-i1783496312159491367=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From today&#8217;s NASA\/JPL briefing on new science from Juno:@NASASpaceflight: &#8220;How specifically does the atmosphere underneath Jupiter&#8217;s cloud layer power the cyclones we see on Jupiter, and how do these intense cyclones form?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Scott Bolter, Juno principal investigator, SwRI: pic.twitter.com\/qeOXu5eBtW<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Haygen Warren (@haygenwarren) October 28, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Since then, Juno has completed 37 close passes of Jupiter, named perijoves. During each of these 37 perijoves, a suite of instruments onboard Juno has performed observations of the planet\u2019s inner atmosphere below the swirling clouds that make up the gas giant\u2019s upper atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>Space Shuttle models<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>Spaceflight news subscription<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>NASA mission patches<path d=\"M7.59009 18.59L9.00009 20L17.0001 12L9.00009 4L7.59009 5.41L14.1701 12\" style=\"animation: initial !important; background: initial !important; border: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; color: inherit !important; cursor: inherit !important; direction: inherit !important; display: inline !important; fill: currentcolor !important; filter: initial !important; float: none !important; margin: 0px !important; opacity: initial !important; outline: 0px !important; overflow: initial !important; padding: 0px !important; stroke: initial !important; transform: initial !important; vertical-align: initial !important; visibility: inherit !important;\"><\/path>\n<p>     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n<p>Jovian Cyclones<\/p>\n<p>Using Juno\u2019s Microwave Radiometer (MWR) instrument, researchers can see through Jupiter\u2019s upper cloud deck and explore how the hundreds of cyclones in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere form and how their structures evolve.<\/p>\n<p>The results from MWR show that cyclones are warmer on top, with lower atmospheric densities, while they are colder at the bottom, with higher densities.<\/p>\n<p>Cyclones rotating in the opposite direction from regular cyclones are called \u201canticyclones.\u201d Just as their rotational direction is opposite that of a cyclone, their temperatures are opposite as well \u2014 with cooler temperatures on top and warmer temperatures at the bottom.<\/p>\n<p>The most iconic of these cyclones is the Great Red Spot, an anticyclone with winds as high as 432 km\/h that is wider than Earth.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81727\" class=\"size-full wp-image-81727\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600-350x197.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600-622x350.jpg 622w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24975.width-1600-1170x658.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-81727\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSSImage processing: Bj\u00f6rn J\u00f3hnsson CC BY)<\/p>\n<p><em>(Image caption: Left: Image from JunoCam annotated to depict the clockwise rotation of a vortex at Jupiter. Right: the large-scale structure of the feature seen by Juno\u2019s MWR instrument.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>MWR microwave data from a flyover of the Great Red Spot in July 2017. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS\/Kevin Gill)What\u2019s more, the new results indicate that these cyclones are very tall, ranging from 100 km (most of them) to 350 km+ (The Great Red Spot) below the cloud tops \u2014 much taller than previously expected.<\/p>\n<p>The storms, therefore, cover atmospheric regions where water doesn\u2019t condense into clouds \u2014 beyond the point where the Sun warms Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>The sheer size of the Great Red Spot meant that its gravitational perturbations would likely be detected by Juno. So for two perijoves, scientists watched Juno using a Deep Space Network antenna as it whizzed over the Great Red Spot at speeds of 209,000 km\/h. With this setup, scientists measured velocity changes in Juno as small as 0.01 millimeters per second.<\/p>\n<p>Using this data, researchers were then able to determine that the Great Red Spot in fact stretches approximately 500 km below the cloud tops, complementing and expanding upon the previous MWR results.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe precision required to get the Great Red Spot\u2019s gravity during the July 2019 flyby [was] staggering,\u201d said Marzia Parisi, Juno scientist and lead author of one of the studies investigating the Jovian atmosphere.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Jupiter\u2019s 3D Atmosphere Revealed by NASA\u2019s Juno Spacecraft (Media Briefing)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PeQ7JEkBxLE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\" name=\"fitvid0\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-14=\"true\" data-gtm-yt-inspected-21=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing able to complement MWR\u2019s finding on the depth gives us great confidence that future gravity experiments at Jupiter will yield equally intriguing results.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Moving to Jupiter\u2019s polar regions, new data analysis by Juno scientists has revealed new insight into the true characteristics of Jupiter\u2019s polar cyclones.<\/p>\n<p>Juno discovered polygonal arrangements of cyclone-style storms at each of Jupiter\u2019s poles five years ago. The north pole features a set of eight storms arranged in an octagonal pattern, while the south pole features a set of five storms arranged in a pentagonal pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Using the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument, a new study indicates that these polar cyclones are extremely resilient to the powerful and ever-changing Jovian atmosphere. Since their discovery, the polar storms have remained in the same location.<\/p>\n<p>But the JIRAM data showed that these polar cyclones want to travel poleward \u2014 similar to how tropical cyclone systems on Earth move.<\/p>\n<p>However, cyclones located at the center of the poles \u201cpush back\u201d on the other polar cyclones, creating a balance in positioning and explaining the number of cyclones present at each of Jupiter\u2019s poles.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81711\" class=\" wp-image-81711\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa-350x299.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa-350x299.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa-409x350.jpeg 409w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa-768x657.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa-1170x1000.jpeg 1170w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/pia23556-nasa.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-81711\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Infrared image of Jupiter\u2019s south pole taken by JIRAM on February 2, 2017. (Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/ASI\/INAF\/JIRAM)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJupiter\u2019s cyclones affect each other\u2019s motion, causing them to oscillate about an equilibrium position,\u201d said Alessandro Mura of the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome and Juno co-investigator and lead author of a study on Jovian polar cyclones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe behavior of these slow oscillations suggests that they have deep roots.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cloud belts and jet streams<\/p>\n<p>Aside from the Great Red Spot, another distinctive aspect of Jupiter is its bands of reddish and white-colored clouds wrapping across the gas giant. These bands are referred to as belts, and each belt is separated by strong east-west winds traveling in opposite directions.<\/p>\n<p>These winds are called jet streams, and scientists have been trying to understand how they formed.<\/p>\n<p>When Juno arrived at Jupiter in 2016, scientists used the craft\u2019s onboard instruments to measure the depth of the jet streams and gather information on the belts\u2019 overall structures.<\/p>\n<p>The Juno data revealed that the jet streams reach depths of roughly 3,200 kilometers. But the mystery of how they formed remained.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-81713\" class=\" wp-image-81713\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24818-350x318.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"832\" height=\"756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24818-350x318.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24818-385x350.jpeg 385w, https:\/\/www.nasaspaceflight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/jpegPIA24818.jpeg 766w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 832px) 100vw, 832px\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-81713\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Half-infrared image of Jupiter showing Jupiter\u2019s jet stream belts. (Credit: International Gemini Observatory\/NOIRLab\/NSF\/AURA\/NASA\/ESA, M.H. Wong and I. de Pater (UC Berkeley) et al.)<\/p>\n<p>Now, a new study discusses results from the MWR instrument that may provide a clue to the structure and formation of the jet streams.<\/p>\n<p>MWR data hints that ammonia gas in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere moves up and down in remarkable similarity with the observed jet streams.<\/p>\n<p>Like other elements of Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere, ammonia might be the key.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy following the ammonia, we found circulation cells in both the north and south hemispheres that are similar in nature to \u2018Ferrel cells,\u2019 which control much of our climate here on Earth,\u201d said Keren Duer of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and lead author of the study.<\/p>\n<p>These Ferrel cells, like most things on Jupiter, are massive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile Earth has one Ferrel cell per hemisphere, Jupiter has eight \u2013 each at least 30 times larger,\u201d said Duer.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Lead image: Juno and the Great Red Spot. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a series of newly released papers from a science team on NASA\u2019s Juno mission, new data is helping researchers discover how Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere functions underneath the planet\u2019s thick upper cloud layer. The papers were published in the journals of Geophysical Research: Planets as well as Geophysical Research Letters and shine light on the gas [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8629,8379,1929,1606,650],"class_list":["post-24805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-cyclones","tag-jet-streams","tag-juno","tag-jupiter","tag-weather"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24805"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}