Revealing what was previously invisible.
From boredom to wonder
The incredible James Webb Space Telescope has been used to image the furthest reaches of the universe, but now astronomers have turned its immense power to a much closer target: the giant planet Jupiter. And in the process, they’ve discovered mysterious features and structures on the gas giant never before seen by anyone, let alone James Webb’s incredible fidelity.
Detail is study Published in the journal Physical astronomy, Scientists have observed a region of the atmosphere hovering above Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm big enough to engulf Earth and the largest in the solar system.
Yet despite its incredible size, this part of the atmosphere has been overlooked by astronomers, who have until now dismissed it as uninteresting, but who are now happy to admit that they were completely wrong.
“We thought, perhaps naively, that this area would be really boring,” said Henrik Melin, the study’s lead author from the University of Leicester. statement “In fact, it’s as interesting as the Northern Lights, if not more so,” he said of the piece, adding, “Jupiter always surprises me.”
Shine bright
The lights Melin mentioned surround Jupiter’s north and south poles and are easy to see, but there’s a more subtle glow in its upper atmosphere that has proven difficult to spot with ground-based telescopes. They may not be as bright, but their elusiveness is what makes them so fascinating.
Thankfully, James Webb is uniquely suited to tackle this problem: it orbits in clear space around the Sun and is equipped with cutting-edge infrared sensors, including the Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRSPEC), which can reveal secrets emanating from the faintest light sources.
As an example, researchers found all sorts of strange phenomena in observations made in July 2022, including one spotted by the European Space Agency. Explained As Complex structure“dark arcs,” and “bright spots.”
Sandwich Zone
The gas giant’s upper atmosphere, the boundary between Jupiter’s lower atmosphere and its powerful magnetic field, hosts spectacular energy interactions: the Northern and Southern Lights, which are thought to be caused by volcanic material erupting from Jupiter’s moon Io.
But researchers suspect the glow above the Great Red Spot may be caused by something else entirely: powerful gravitational interactions rarely seen on Earth.
“One way this structure is altered is by gravity waves, which are similar to waves crashing on a beach, creating ripples in the sand,” Henrik said. “These waves originate in the turbulent deep lower atmosphere around the Great Red Spot and travel up in altitude, altering the structure and emissions of the upper atmosphere.”
With further observations, astronomers hope to understand how these waves travel through Jupiter’s atmosphere.
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