Comparison of Radio and Optical Maps of Jupiter's Upper Atmosphere (IMAGE)

University of California - Berkeley

Comparison of Radio and Optical Maps of Jupiter's Upper Atmosphere

Caption

In this animated gif, optical images of the surface clouds encircling Jupiter's equator --including the famous Great Red Spot -- alternate with new detailed radio images of the deep atmosphere (up to 30 kilometers below the clouds). The radio map shows ammonia-rich gases rising to the surface (dark) intermixed with descending, ammonia-poor gases (bright). In the cold temperatures of the upper atmosphere (160 to 200 Kelvin, or -170 to -100 degrees Fahrenheit), the rising ammonia condenses into clouds, which are invisible in the radio region.

Credit

Radio: Robert J. Sault (Univ. Melbourne), Imke de Pater and Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley). Optical: Marco Vedovato, Christopher Go, Manos Kardasis, Ian Sharp, Imke de Pater.

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