Jupiter’s Earth 635i1f Sized Storms Might Be Caused by Magnetic Tornadoes, Study Claims

New research reveals that Jupiter’s magnetic tornadoes generate massive Earth-sized storms, visible only in ultraviolet light. 673958

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 27 November 2024 23:13 IST

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

Photo Credit: Pixabay/TBIT 2r55l

The findings suggest these dark ovals are formed by swirling magnetic tornadoes

Highlights

Magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter produce ultraviolet-absorbing anticyclones.
These storms are Earth-sized and form dense atmospheric hazes.
Hubble and Cassini data reveal their link to Jupiter's magnetic field.

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Magnetic vortices descending from NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2000.

Research Unveils Tornado Dynamics 1d2v3u

The study, published in the Nature journal, was led by Troy Tsubota, an undergraduate researcher at 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 suggest these dark ovals are formed by swirling magnetic tornadoes generated due to friction between Jupiter's immense magnetic field lines and those in its ionosphere. These tornadoes are thought to stir aerosols, creating dense patches of UV-absorbing haze in the stratosphere.

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The Role of the Io Plasma Torus 1z6q2n

The study highlights that Jupiter's magnetic field, among the strongest in the solar system, interacts with the Io Plasma Torus — a ring of charged particles released by volcanic activity on Jupiter's moon Io. This interaction generates friction, potentially initiating magnetic vortices that descend into the planet's atmosphere.

The exact mechanism remains unclear, with researchers debating whether these tornadoes dredge up material from deeper atmospheric layers or create the hazes independently.

Regular Observations Confirm Patterns 11594l

The Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project, which captures annual images of Jupiter using the Hubble Space Telescope, played a pivotal role in the discovery. Between 2015 and 2022, dark ovals were observed at the south pole in 75% of images but were significantly rarer at the north pole. These formations typically appear over a month and dissipate within two weeks, resembling a magnetic “tornado alley.”

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