Scientists observed cyclones “larger than Australia”

Juno is an unmanned American space probe. She was launched from Earth on August 5, 2011, she reached the orbit around Jupiter on June 5, 2016, becoming his artificial satellite. The mission is to end in September 2025, but the orbiter is to collect important data on the largest planet of the Solar System and its surroundings until the last moment. Some of them were presented this week during the European Geophysical Union Congress in Vienna.

The research team presented the results of Jupiter's atmospheric temperature measurements by radio optic method. It involves sending and receiving probe signals when this is “covered” by Jupiter from the perspective of an observer on earth. The waves go through the atmosphere of the planet, where they are bent, and based on this interaction, researchers can determine the physical properties of gas and their chemical composition. Scientists observed that in the stratosphere around the North Pole there was a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius lower than in the environment, and wind gusts exceed 160 kilometers per hour.

The polar cyclones have been another recently studied element. Using the data collected by two instruments, researchers followed the movement of a large polar vortex in the north and eight cyclones that surround him. As it turned out, each of the cyclones was created closer to the equator and gradually moved towards the pole. The same happens on earth, but our hurricanes and typhoon are lonely, and in addition they disappear before reaching high latitudes. Cyclones on Jupiter form groups when approaching the pole, and when they begin to interact with each other, they slow down and stabilize – thanks to this they last longer than the earthly ones.

– Everything on Jupiter is extreme. On the planet we can find polar cyclones larger than Australia, violent stream currents, the most powerful aurora – said Scott Bolton from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. – Orbit Juno leads us to the new regions of Jupiter and the surrounding area, which means that we can take a closer look at the enormity of energy that this gas giant has.

Measuring instruments also turned to the IO, volcanic moon of Jupiter. The collected data indicated that just under the shell there was still a warm magma, which did not solidify. The cooling streams were noticed in many different places – about 10 percent of the moon area just below the surface of the remains of a slowly cooling mass of molten rocks. More accurate analyzes can help understand how it renews its surface so quickly.

Shannon Brown with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in South California, she used analogy that on IO volcanoes, lava fields and sub -lava streams are like a car heat sink. They move the heat from the inside to the surface, cooling down in a space vacuum.

It was pointed out that the most energetic eruption on IO in history still throws out lava and ash. The eruption was identified in infrared photos on December 27, 2024. On May 6, the probe is to fly at a distance of 89 thousand kilometers from the moon. Scientists are counting on further observations of this ongoing eruption.