Mysterious glowing objects spotted in Jupiter's great red spot
Astronomers have identified strange, glowing objects high in Jupiter's atmosphere. These objects are located over an area known as the Great Red Spot and are a mystery to scientists—they are not entirely sure what they have discovered.
3:18 PM EDT, June 30, 2024
An article on the Science Alert portal about Jupiter's discovery states that the mysterious planet is much more enigmatic than the scientists thought. "We thought this region, perhaps naively, would be boring," suspected Henrik Melin from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.
However, in practice, Jupiter surprised scientists. "In reality, it is just as interesting as the aurora [on Jupiter], if not more. Jupiter never ceases to amaze," added Melin.
The biggest storm on Jupiter
Astronomers decided to take a closer look at one of the most intriguing places on Jupiter—an area where the largest storm in the Solar System, about the size of the entire Earth, is occurring. We don't know of a similar phenomenon globally; hence, scientists want to learn more about the Great Red Spot, primarily its longevity.
The advent of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) made a more detailed examination of the Great Red Spot possible. The telescope observes the world in near—and mid-infrared and in high resolution. Thanks to this, it is possible to "delve into" the layer of Jupiter that still needs precise study: the ionosphere.
Observations of Jupiter and the Great Red Spot revealed that ultraviolet solar radiation ionizes hydrogen gas in the planet's ionosphere. As a result, positively charged ions—trihydrogen cations (H3+)—are formed. Most importantly, these ions subsequently cause an infrared glow.
Since Jupiter receives only 4 percent of the solar radiation reaching Earth, scientists concluded that the glow must be evenly distributed. As a result, they decided to examine the distribution of H3+ cations in the lower ionosphere more closely. The research results surprised scientists, as it turned out that sunlight is the dominant mechanism responsible for the ionization of hydrogen; something else in the gas causes the strange shapes visible through the JWST.
Scientists do not rule out that this may result from the overlapping layers of Jupiter's atmosphere, causing interactions in a complex and unknown way. However, to be sure of what exactly is happening in the giant planet's atmosphere, additional observations and analyses are needed. Astronomers highlight that it is worth it, as science has so far neglected an important aspect of Jupiter's weather based on the mistaken assumption that there was nothing to see.
"Jupiter's ionosphere at low latitudes has long been considered rather bland. However, observations show that this is far from the truth, and it holds a wealth of features never seen before," explains the scientist.
