Near-infrared observations of Jupiter by NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (background) exposed previously unsuspected high-elevation winds (red arrows) akin to Earths jet stream in a narrow zone above the equator. In Webbs images of Jupiter from July 2022, researchers recently found a narrow jet stream taking a trip 320 miles per hour (515 kilometers per hour) sitting over Jupiters equator above the main cloud decks. Scientists using NASAs James Webb Space Telescopes NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) have discovered a high-speed jet stream sitting over Jupiters equator, above the main cloud decks. At a wavelength of 2.12 microns, which observes in between altitudes of about 12-21 miles (20-35 kilometers) above Jupiters cloud tops, scientists identified numerous wind shears, or locations where wind speeds alter with height or with distance, which enabled them to track the jet. The observations of Jupiter were taken 10 hours apart, or one Jupiter day, in 3 different filters, kept in mind here, each uniquely able to find changes in small functions at various elevations of Jupiters environment.
Recommendation: “An intense narrow equatorial jet in Jupiters lower stratosphere observed by JWST” by Ricardo Hueso, Agustín Sánchez-Lavega, Thierry Fouchet, Imke de Pater, Arrate Antuñano, Leigh N. Fletcher, Michael H. Wong, Pablo Rodríguez-Ovalle, Lawrence A. Sromovsky, Patrick M. Fry, Glenn S. Orton, Sandrine Guerlet, Patrick G. J. Irwin, Emmanuel Lellouch, Jake Harkett, Katherine de Kleer, Henrik Melin, Vincent Hue, Amy A. Simon, Statia Luszcz-Cook and Kunio M. Sayanagi, 19 October 2023, Nature Astronomy.DOI: 10.1038/ s41550-023-02099-2.
This image of Jupiter from NASAs James Webb Space Telescopes NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) shows stunning information of the majestic world in infrared light. By contrast, dark ribbons north of the equatorial region have little cloud cover. In Webbs images of Jupiter from July 2022, researchers recently discovered a narrow jet stream taking a trip 320 miles per hour (515 kilometers per hour) sitting over Jupiters equator above the main cloud decks.
Contrast With Hubble Observations.
Based upon observations by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope, winds in the noticeable cloud layer blow at about 180 miles per hour (250 km/hour). This implies that for every single kilometer above these visible clouds, the wind speed increases by 7 to 10 kilometers per hour, according to Ricardo Hueso, lead author of a paper describing the findings released just recently in the journal Nature Astronomy.
A Surprising Revelation.
” This is something that absolutely surprised us,” stated Hueso of the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain. “What we have constantly viewed as blurred hazes in Jupiters environment now appear as crisp functions that we can track along with the worlds fast rotation and move much faster than the common velocities discovered in Jupiters equator at cloud level.”.
Researchers using NASAs James Webb Space Telescopes NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) have actually discovered a high-speed jet stream sitting over Jupiters equator, above the primary cloud decks. At a wavelength of 2.12 microns, which observes in between altitudes of about 12-21 miles (20-35 kilometers) above Jupiters cloud tops, researchers found a number of wind shears, or areas where wind speeds change with height or with range, which enabled them to track the jet.
The discovery of this jet stream is offering insights into how the layers of Jupiters notoriously turbulent atmosphere engage with each other, and how the Webb telescope (Webb) is distinctively capable of tracking those features.
Webbs Advanced Imaging Techniques.
The brand-new images of Jupiter were captured in July 2022 by Webbs NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) as part of the Early Release Science (ERS) program. The ERS observations of the Jupiter system are jointly led by Imke de Pater, teacher emerita of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, and Thierry Fouchet from the Observatory of Paris.
Total structure of the zonal winds in Jupiters environment rebuilded from observations in visible wavelengths (white profile) and various filters utilized in the research study (colored lines). The background image is a color combination of JWST images conscious the upper hazes. The ideal image is a closeup of the central narrow jet above the equatorial area. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA and Jupiter Early Release Science team.
” Even though numerous ground-based telescopes, spacecraft like NASAs Juno and Cassini, and NASAs Hubble Space Telescope have actually observed the Jovian systems altering weather patterns, Webb has actually currently provided brand-new findings on Jupiters rings, satellites, and its environment,” de Pater said.
The NIRCam obtained pictures of Jupiter 10 hours apart– one Jupiter day– in 4 various filters, each distinctively able to detect modifications in small features at various elevations of Jupiters environment. The wind speed was determined by tracking the movement of little functions, such as clouds– probably ammonia ice blended with photochemical haze particles common of Jupiters environment.
” We understood the various wavelengths of Webb and Hubble would expose the three-dimensional structure of storm clouds, but we were likewise able to use the timing of the information to see how quickly storms establish,” stated UC Berkeley co-author Michael Wong, co-investigator for the Jovian system ERS program.
Jupiter has a layered atmosphere, and this illustration shows how Webb is distinctively efficient in collecting information from greater layers of the elevation than in the past. Scientists had the ability to use Webb to identify wind speeds at different layers of Jupiters atmosphere in order to separate the high-speed jet. The observations of Jupiter were taken 10 hours apart, or one Jupiter day, in 3 various filters, kept in mind here, each distinctively able to discover modifications in small features at different altitudes of Jupiters atmosphere. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Ricardo Hueso (UPV), Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley), Thierry Fouchet (Observatory of Paris), Leigh Fletcher (University of Leicester), Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley), Andi James (STScI).
Insights Into Stratospheric Phenomena.
The high-speed jet stream may be a deep counterpart of an intricate phenomenon that has been observed for years on Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth: regular oscillations of temperatures and winds that occur in the stratosphere, high above these worlds environments. On Jupiter, these equatorial thermal oscillations between 30 and 150 kilometers above the visible cloud layer have a periodicity of 4 to 6 years.
” Jupiter has a repeatable but complex pattern of winds and temperatures in its equatorial stratosphere, high above the winds in the clouds and hazes measured at these wavelengths,” stated staff member Leigh Fletcher of the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. “If the strength of this new jet is connected to this oscillating stratospheric pattern, we may expect the jet to vary significantly over the next two to four years. Itll be really amazing to check this theory in the years to come.”.
Details of the wind speeds (in meters per second) measured by the Webb telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: M.H. Wong, UC Berkeley; R. Hueso, University of the Basque Country; NASA; ESA; CSA; STScI; I. de Pater, UC Berkeley; T. Fouchet, Observatory of Paris; L. Fletcher, University of Leicester.
Comprehending Jupiters Zonal Jets.
Hueso noted that jets are among the main functions of the environments of both Jupiter and Saturn. They are so completely lined up with latitude that they are called zonal jets. These zonal alignments are an effect of the quick rotation of the worlds (both Jupiter and Saturn have a rotation duration of about 10 hours), which leads to a balance between Coriolis forces and latitudinal gradients of pressure..
In Jupiter and Saturn, the jets are mostly steady in time, with only small changes at cloud level observed over years and years.
” To me, the interesting thing is that no one was anticipating this narrow, high-speed jet before JWST,” Wong said. “We understood there was a narrow jet like this on Saturn, so to find a comparable function on Jupiter allows brand-new relative research studies of the two giant planets, even if the Jupiter jet ends up to have a various development mechanism.”.
Webbs Enhanced Imaging Capabilities.
Astronomers, including de Pater and Wong, have actually long observed Jupiter in microwave, infrared, visible, and ultraviolet wavelengths utilizing ground and space-based telescopes to study the lower, deeper layers of the worlds environment, where gigantic storms and ammonia ice clouds reside. Webbs instruments look further into the near-infrared than in the past and are sensitive to the higher-altitude layers of the environment, around 15 to 30 miles (25 to 50 kilometers) above Jupiters cloud tops.
So while in earlier near-infrared images these high-altitude hazes have normally looked fuzzy, with enhanced brightness over the equatorial region, Webb can fix finer details within the intense hazy bands.
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Near-infrared observations of Jupiter by NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (background) exposed previously unsuspected high-elevation winds (red arrows) comparable to Earths jet stream in a narrow zone above the equator. These winds flow at almost twice the speed of the winds in the visible cloud layer (blue arrows) 20 miles below, as determined by NASAs Hubble Space Telescope. Credit: M.H. Wong, UC Berkeley; R. Hueso, University of the Basque Country; NASA; ESA; CSA; STScI; I. de Pater, UC Berkeley; T. Fouchet, Observatory of Paris; L. Fletcher, University of Leicester
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has actually discovered a high-speed jet stream in Jupiters atmosphere, moving at 320 miles per hour and positioned 15 to 30 miles above the primary cloud deck. This jet stream, over 3,000 miles wide, is much faster than the noticeable cloud layers below, revealing detailed information about Jupiters atmospheric dynamics.
Discovery of High-Speed Jet Stream on Jupiter
NASAs James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a fast-moving jet stream in Jupiters environment that is blowing twice as fast as the noticeable cloud layers below it, creating wind shears that far surpass anything seen on Earth.
The high-speed jet stream, which is traveling at 320 miles per hour (515 kilometers per hour) and is more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) large, sits over Jupiters equator, 15 to 30 miles (25 to 50 kilometers) above the main cloud deck familiar from optical images.
