One particular of the greatest mysteries of Jupiter was that the stripes that have been visible on its surface frequently shifted and changed. Now, scientists think they have figured out why.

An image of Jupiter, with Ganymede’s shadow on it, taken by NASA’s Juno mission/ (Image credit: NASA)Listen to this short article
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Most photos of Jupiter prominently function a lot of of the gas giant’s characteristic stripes. Apart from its giant red dot, one particular of the most fascinating attributes of the planet’s surface is that these stripes often move and alter, which scientists have not been capable to clarify till now.

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But now, thanks to a new discovery which was created in element due to new data about Jupiter’s magnetic field, researchers feel they have an explanation for why it occurs, according to the University of Leeds.

“If you appear at Jupiter by means of a telescope, you see the stripes, which go round the equator along the lines of latitude. There are dark and light belts that take place, and if you appear a small bit a lot more closely, you can see clouds zipping about carried by extraordinarily robust easterly and westerly winds. Close to the equator, the wind blows eastward but as you alter latitude a bit, either north or south, it goes westward. And then if you move a small bit additional away it goes eastward once again. This alternating pattern of eastward and westward winds is pretty unique from climate on Earth,” stated Chris Jones, co-author of a study on the topic, in a press statement.

Each and every 4 of 5 years, items alter on the planet, according to Jones. Occasionally, the colours of the belts can alter, and scientists have often observed international upheavals in the climate patterns. Why this occurs has largely remained a mystery.

There is currently proof that points to this alter in look getting linked to infrared variations about 50 kilometres beneath Jupiter’s surface. But the new analysis by Jones and other individuals shows that these variations could be brought on by waves made by the gas giant’s magnetic field, deep inside the planet’s interior.

The researchers employed information gathered by NASA’s Juno mission to the planet and they have been capable to monitor and calculate alterations in its magnetic field. The researchers located that the planet’s magnetic field’s oscillations corresponded to the periods of infrared radiation from its gases.

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Very first published on: 26-05-2023 at 17:13 IST