Jupiter’s Earth-Sized Storms Might Be Caused by Magnetic Tornadoes, Study Claims

Magnetic vortices descending from Jupiter’s ionosphere into its deep environment are believed to set off the formation of ultraviolet-absorbing anticyclonic storms, in line with a research printed on November 26 in Nature Astronomy. These storms, showing as darkish ovals, span the scale of Earth and have been noticed primarily in Jupiter’s polar areas. The phenomenon was first detected in ultraviolet (UV) gentle by the Hubble Space Telescope within the Nineteen Nineties and later confirmed by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2000.

Research Unveils Tornado Dynamics

The study, printed within the Nature journal, was led by Troy Tsubota, an undergraduate researcher on the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with Michael Wong from UC Berkeley, Amy Simon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and others.

The findings recommend these darkish ovals are shaped by swirling magnetic tornadoes generated resulting from friction between Jupiter’s immense magnetic area strains and people in its ionosphere. These tornadoes are thought to stir aerosols, creating dense patches of UV-absorbing haze within the stratosphere.

The Role of the Io Plasma Torus

The research highlights that Jupiter’s magnetic area, among the many strongest within the photo voltaic system, interacts with the Io Plasma Torus — a hoop of charged particles launched by volcanic exercise on Jupiter’s moon Io. This interplay generates friction, probably initiating magnetic vortices that descend into the planet’s environment.

The actual mechanism stays unclear, with researchers debating whether or not these tornadoes dredge up materials from deeper atmospheric layers or create the hazes independently.

Regular Observations Confirm Patterns

The Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) venture, which captures annual photographs of Jupiter utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope, performed a pivotal function within the discovery. Between 2015 and 2022, darkish ovals had been noticed on the south pole in 75% of photographs however had been considerably rarer on the north pole. These formations sometimes seem over a month and dissipate inside two weeks, resembling a magnetic “twister alley.”