Posted on Aug 11, 2020
APOD: 2020 August 11 - Churning Clouds on Jupiter
870
61
10
20
20
0
Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "Churning Clouds on Jupiter." The Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter in July 2016, and since then has performed 27 science flybys and logged over 300 million miles. Close flybys of cloud tops revealed two things surprising to scientists: lightning flashes originating at much higher altitudes in Jupiter's atmosphere than previously assumed possible, and a lack of ammonia. The cause? Ammonia significantly lowers the melting point of water - to temperatures below -126 degrees Fahrenheit. The interaction between falling ammonia-water and rising water vapor both electrifies the clouds and depletes the upper Jovian atmosphere of ammonia. I don't think I'd like to fly through an ammonia-water thunderstorm.
APOD: 2020 August 11 - Churning Clouds on Jupiter
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
NASA
Space
Science
Photography
Astronomy
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 8
7
7
0
7
7
0
6
6
0
Train - Drops of Jupiter (Official Video)
Train's official music video for 'Drops of Jupiter'. Click to listen to Train on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/TrainSpot?IQid=TrainDoJ As featured on Train: Th...
Belated thank you my friend Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "Churning Clouds on Jupiter."
Image: Churning Clouds on Jupiter - Image Credit & License -NASA-JPL-Caltech-SwRI-MSSS; Processing - Kevin M. Gill
Amazing image of beauty of a poisonous planet to humans and all life as we know it
APOD Background
Explanation: Where is Jupiter's ammonia? Gaseous ammonia was expected to be seen in Jupiter's upper atmosphere by the orbiting Juno spacecraft -- but in many clouds is almost absent. Recent Juno data, however, gives some clues: some high-level clouds appear to be home to an unexpected type of electrical discharge dubbed shallow lightning. Great charge separations are needed for lightning, which might be created by colliding mushballs lifted by rising updrafts of gas. Ammonia and water stick to these mushballs which rise until they get too heavy -- after which they fall deep into Jupiter's atmosphere and melt. By this process, ammonia found missing from Jupiter's upper atmosphere reappears below. Pictured by Juno, churning clouds on Jupiter show not only mesmerizing complexity but some high-level, light-colored pop-up clouds. Understanding atmospheric dynamics on Jupiter gives valuable perspective to similar atmospheric and lightning phenomena that occur on our home Earth.
Train - Drops of Jupiter (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf-Lesrkuc
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Col Carl Whicker Maj Kim Patterson Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. LTC (Join to see) SPC Nancy Greene Cynthia Croft SFC (Join to see) MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick Sgt Kelli Mays Sgt John H. PO2 (Join to see)
Image: Churning Clouds on Jupiter - Image Credit & License -NASA-JPL-Caltech-SwRI-MSSS; Processing - Kevin M. Gill
Amazing image of beauty of a poisonous planet to humans and all life as we know it
APOD Background
Explanation: Where is Jupiter's ammonia? Gaseous ammonia was expected to be seen in Jupiter's upper atmosphere by the orbiting Juno spacecraft -- but in many clouds is almost absent. Recent Juno data, however, gives some clues: some high-level clouds appear to be home to an unexpected type of electrical discharge dubbed shallow lightning. Great charge separations are needed for lightning, which might be created by colliding mushballs lifted by rising updrafts of gas. Ammonia and water stick to these mushballs which rise until they get too heavy -- after which they fall deep into Jupiter's atmosphere and melt. By this process, ammonia found missing from Jupiter's upper atmosphere reappears below. Pictured by Juno, churning clouds on Jupiter show not only mesmerizing complexity but some high-level, light-colored pop-up clouds. Understanding atmospheric dynamics on Jupiter gives valuable perspective to similar atmospheric and lightning phenomena that occur on our home Earth.
Train - Drops of Jupiter (Official Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xf-Lesrkuc
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs Col Carl Whicker Maj Kim Patterson Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. LTC (Join to see) SPC Nancy Greene Cynthia Croft SFC (Join to see) MSgt Robert "Rock" Aldi SMSgt Lawrence McCarter GySgt Thomas Vick Sgt Kelli Mays Sgt John H. PO2 (Join to see)
(6)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google