First science results from Juno
The Juno science team today released the mission’s first science results gathered during its first close fly-by of Jupiter.
I have cropped on the right one of their full images to focus in on two of the strangely shaped storms Juno imaged during its pass. This image is of the northern pole. They also have some fascinating images of the south pole storms as well. Unlike the equatorial regions, which on gas giants have what appear to be parallel coherent bands of weather, the poles appear very chaotic, with the storms forming shapes that have not been seen in any other atmosphere in the solar system. They also found a hexagon-shaped weather feature in the pole.
The first link above also included data from the spacecraft’s other instruments, showing the gas giant’s complex atmosphere in a variety of other wavelengths.
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The Juno science team today released the mission’s first science results gathered during its first close fly-by of Jupiter.
I have cropped on the right one of their full images to focus in on two of the strangely shaped storms Juno imaged during its pass. This image is of the northern pole. They also have some fascinating images of the south pole storms as well. Unlike the equatorial regions, which on gas giants have what appear to be parallel coherent bands of weather, the poles appear very chaotic, with the storms forming shapes that have not been seen in any other atmosphere in the solar system. They also found a hexagon-shaped weather feature in the pole.
The first link above also included data from the spacecraft’s other instruments, showing the gas giant’s complex atmosphere in a variety of other wavelengths.
I must unfortunately ask you for your financial support because I do not depend on ads and rely entirely on the generosity of readers to keep Behind the Black running. You can either make a one time donation for whatever amount you wish, or you sign up for a monthly subscription ranging from $2 to $15 through Paypal or $3 to $50 through Patreon.
Your support will allow me to continue covering science and culture as I have for the past twenty years, independent and free from any outside influence.
Your support is even more essential to me because I not only keep this site free from advertisements, I do not use the corrupt social media companies like Google, Twitter, and Facebook to promote my work. I depend wholly on the direct support of my readers.
You can provide that support to Behind The Black with a contribution via Patreon or PayPal. To use Patreon, go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation. For PayPal click one of the following buttons:
If Patreon or Paypal don't work for you, you can support Behind The Black directly by sending your donation by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman, to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
Or you can donate by using Zelle through your bank. You will need to give my name and email address (found at the bottom of the "About" page). The best part of this electronic option is that no fees will be deducted! What you donate will be what I receive.
Still no bumpiness. There must be a transparent “atmosphere” in which the clouds propagate.
They flow even more like a fluid than here on Earth…
I want to put in a request for our kind host to make some animated gifs of Jupiter’s storms with his photo processing wizardry.
Wodun: Your request is noted, but don’t count on it. More work than I care to do, and besides, I fully expect the Juno team to start producing these themselves once the spacecraft is in its science orbit and begins accumulating data.
” They also found a hexagon-shaped weather feature in the pole.”
Looks like this is a feature on gas giants.
The hexagons (also in jet streams on Earth, I think) are formed by winds interacting at equilateral triangles. At equal distance at evenly spread out angles. The reinforcement of the winds at those angles reflect again into resonances forming equilateral triangles. And a hexagon is built up of that phenomenon. Not as weird as it looks. Not that it was predicted, but after the shock discovery it has been explained.