Complex Jupiter
Explanation:
How complex is Jupiter?
NASA's
Juno mission to Jupiter is finding the Jovian giant to be
more complicated than expected.
Jupiter's magnetic field has been
discovered to be much different from our Earth's
simple dipole field, showing
several
poles embedded in a complicated network more convoluted in the north than the
south.
Further, Juno's radio measurements show that
Jupiter's atmosphere shows structure well below the upper cloud deck -- even
hundreds of kilometers deep.
Jupiter's newfound complexity is evident also in southern clouds, as shown in
the
featured image.
There, planet-circling
zones
and belts that dominate near the equator decay into a
complex miasma of continent-sized storm swirls.
Juno continues in its looping elliptical orbit,
swooping near the huge planet
every 53 days and exploring a slightly different sector each time around.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
