NASA’s Juno spacecraft finds deep winds and patterned cyclones on Jupiter
A color-enhanced picture taken by Juno of Jupiter’s south pole.” data-portal-copyright=”Image: NASA” data-has-syndication-rights=”1″ data-focal-region=”x1:729,y1:675,×2:1005,y2:951″ src=”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/66rrnGIT931nPFgBR3NZjfS6gcg=/0x238:1725×1388/1310×873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58941493/pia21980.0.jpg”>
The world of Jupiter is coming into clearer focus for scientists, as new data from NASA reveals how the planet’s fluids churn and mingle — both on the surface and deep within the interior. All of these chaotic movements are revealing that Jupiter is even more complex than expected.
One surprise is that the winds that flow on Jupiter’s surface actually extend deep into the planet’s interior, causing strange variations in the world’s gravitational field, researchers have found. Even deeper down inside the planet, a gaseous core rotates as if it were a solid, rigid body. Meanwhile, on the surface, gigantic cyclones dot the poles, where they form strange flower-like patterns, though scientists don’t know how exactly.
