Astronomers were able to look under the clouds of Jupiter – BBC Russian

Image copyright SPL

Image caption The gas giant Jupiter – the fifth planet from the Sun, the largest in the Solar system

American astronomers were able to study Jupiter’s atmosphere, as well as create a detailed map of the planet’s atmosphere.

The research was carried out by placing in the desert in the state of New Mexico radio telescope VLA:. using 27 radio telescopes, working as a single complex antenna, the experts looked at the dense cloud layer enveloping the planet to a depth of 100 km

Scientists have studied the movement of ammonia vapors below the upper cloud layer, fixing the share of its content in the atmosphere. This was possible thanks to the fact that ammonia absorbs radio waves

The research allowed a better understanding of the processes taking place in the Great Red Spot of Jupiter (OPF) -. Giant hurricane-anticyclone, in the hundreds of millions of square kilometers, raging on Jupiter at least the last 400 years. Scientists were able to learn more about the causes of its origin

“It is impressive how detailed picture we can get -. Recognized Michael Wong of the University of California, Berkeley -. For we have created the maps you can see the different zones, signs of turbulence, vortices, even the great red spot “.

New equipment

Image caption Made at assistance VLA radio card rising from the depths of the atmosphere of Jupiter ammonia flow (top) and remove the telescope “Hubble” in the visible light region of the same planet with the tops of the clouds

in an interview with the BBC B Wong said that all this was made possible by equipping the VLA telescope with new equipment. With its help it was possible to significantly increase the telescope’s sensitivity to radio waves coming from objects in space.

The new technologies have allowed to eliminate occurs on the previous photos the effect of image blur, which inevitably occurs when shooting at slow shutter speeds fast rotating object (this is due that day on Jupiter lasts only 10 hours).

the result was an unusually detailed picture of what is happening at the top of the many layers of the Jovian atmosphere, each of which is a separate meteosistemu.

The observation of Jupiter in the radio allowed to consider in its gaseous envelope are invisible in the optical cloud mode, which helped draw up a detailed map of the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere.

thanks to the radio telescope showing convection currents, the scientists were able to observe the glow ammonia in the atmosphere, preferably consisting of hydrogen and helium. Relatively easily fixed by a radio telescope ammonia acted as a marker to track the flows in the atmosphere of the planet

“We were able to see the actual glow of ammonia, and its brightness is dependent on the depth -. Explained Wong -. In this study we were able to see the processes that occur at depths where the pressure reaches 12 bar – “.

Fast visit

in during the observation revealed that the ammonia jet appear wavy. In a study published in the journal Science, the scientists say, that as a result of the wave-like process, ammonia is condensed at high altitudes.

This may explain the icy clouds of ammonia that were discovered in the 90s of the last century spacecraft . “Galileo”

“Now we have a huge amount of information about Jupiter’s atmosphere, thanks to pictures taken VLA So, using similar research methods, we hope to answer in future to many of our remaining issues.” – . says Imke de Pater, one of the leading authors of the study

He is going to use this method for the study of other gas giants of the Solar system – Saturn and Uranus

Image copyright NASA

Image caption probe “Juno” should come to Jupiter July 4

There is no doubt that this is only the first of many discoveries related to Jupiter on July 4 to the planet arrive American space probe “Juno”

. The probe is equipped with tools to remotely examine the entire internal structure of the planet’s largest, up to a rocky core – unless, of course, it is Jupiter

.