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Astronomers used NASA's six ground-based telescopes and Hubble Space Telescope in January 2017 to capture Jupiter's views in visible light and radio waves.
The atmosphere of Jupiter is composed of hydrogen and helium, two of the most abundant elements of the universe, with a little methane, ammonia, d & # 39; hydrogen sulphide and water.
The telescopes were able to provide a unique view up to 31 miles above the cloud. The upper cloud layer consists of ammonia ice, followed by a layer of solid particles of ammonium hydrosulfide. The visibly stunning belts of the white and brown areas are due to compositional variations. Under this upper cloud layer is a cloud layer of liquid water.
The observations were included in a study that was accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal.
"ALMA allowed us to draw a three-dimensional map of the distribution of ammonia gas under clouds, and for the first time we were able to study the atmosphere beneath the layers of ammonia clouds after an eruption. energetic on Jupiter, "said Imke de Pater, author and emeritus professor of astronomy at the University of California at Berkeley.
They were able to follow the storms inside Jupiter's colorful belts, much like we followed them on Earth, and realized that the storms were creating plumes above the ice clouds at the site. 39; ammonia. These appear as bright spots on the colored belts of the planet. The storms also contained lightning. When storm clouds reach the coldest part of the atmosphere, they propagate like cumulonimbus clouds that cause lightning and thunder on the Earth.
The light plumes create disturbances in the belts that can last for months or even years.
"If these plumes are vigorous and continue to have convective events, they can disrupt one of these bands over time, although it may take a few months," said de Pater. "With these observations, we see an ongoing plume and the after-effects of others."
The sightings occurred when an amateur astronomer named Phil Miles in Australia saw an eruption in the southern equatorial belt, first in the form of a small bright plume followed by a disturbance more important that lasted weeks.
In Chile, Atacama's large millimeter / submillimeter network captured the view of the atmosphere below the plumes in the form of radio waves, which was compared to other images in visible light and at the same time. infrared captured simultaneously by other telescopes.
"Our ALMA observations are the first to show that high concentrations of ammonia are raised during an energy eruption," Pater said. "This has led us to confirm the current theory that energetic plumes are triggered by wet convection at the base of the water clouds, deep down in the atmosphere. 39, gaseous ammonia from the depths of the atmosphere to the high altitudes, well above the main deck of ammonia clouds. "
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