Newly released beauty shots of Jupiter, captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), have revealed a high-speed jet stream encircling the equator at an unprecedented altitude. This remarkable discovery challenges existing knowledge about the gas giant’s atmospheric dynamics.
Jovian jet streams have been studied since the Voyager spacecraft’s 1979 flyby, typically found in the troposphere near the planet’s main cloud decks. However, the recent findings by astrophysicist Ricardo Hueso and his team from the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain, published in Nature Astronomy on October 19, unveil a jet stream located 20 to 40 kilometres above, in the stratosphere. Clocking in at approximately 500 kilometres per hour, this jet moves twice as fast as those in the lower troposphere.
The unexpected discovery has left scientists puzzled, as there is currently no theoretical explanation for such high-speed winds in Jupiter’s equatorial atmosphere. Hueso suggests that intense motions, potentially fuelled by storms below the jet or stratospheric occurrences, may be responsible.
The groundbreaking images were made possible by the JWST’s special infrared filters, allowing it to observe the stratosphere’s elusive region that lies beyond the reach of ground-based telescopes and above the capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope.
The high-resolution images, taken 10 hours apart, provide a detailed glimpse of the jet stream’s movement. Thibault Cavalié, a planetary scientist in France, emphasises the significance of this missing piece of the puzzle, describing the images as “stunning.”
Hueso sees these findings as an opportunity to enhance our understanding of equatorial atmospheric physics on both Earth and Jupiter. With further observations, researchers aim to refine equations describing atmospheric behaviours around the equator, an area where existing understanding remains incomplete.
The JWST’s ability to capture this elusive jet stream opens a new chapter in the exploration of Jupiter’s atmospheric mysteries, promising more revelations as scientists delve into the intricacies of the gas giant’s equatorial dynamics.
