Scientists have long been puzzled by Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, but recent research has shed new light on a bizarre phenomenon. Ammonia-packed “ice mushballs” are said to rain down during intense thunderstorms on the gas giant, delivering ammonia to deeper layers of its atmosphere. The theory was initially met with skepticism, but new evidence confirms that these slushy hailstones exist and may be more widespread than previously thought.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, used observations from the Juno spacecraft and other telescopes to probe the depth and impact of weather on Jupiter. Their findings suggest that mushballs could not only occur on Jupiter but also on other gas giants like Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
According to the study, violent storms in Jupiter’s atmosphere create mushballs by carrying water ice up to extreme altitudes where ammonia acts as an antifreeze, melting it and combining with it to form a slushy liquid. As the mushballs rise through the atmosphere, they redistribute ammonia and water from the upper layers to deeper regions, creating areas of depleted ammonia visible in radio observations.
The researchers created the first 3D visualization of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, which confirmed that mushballs do exist. This challenges the long-held assumption that shallow weather events on Jupiter cannot explain the depletion of ammonia in its atmosphere.
“We were surprised to find that these deep clouds are actually much deeper than we thought,” said Chris Moeckel, a UC Berkeley graduate student and co-author of the study. “Even though the top looks like it’s boiling, below is a layer that really is very steady and sluggish.”
The discovery highlights the complexity and nuance of Jupiter’s atmosphere and challenges our understanding of how weather events on gas giants work. As Moeckel noted, “Every time you look at Jupiter, it’s mostly just surface level, but a few things can punch through.”
Source: https://gizmodo.com/jupiter-is-getting-slammed-by-ammonia-slushees-scientists-confirm-2000589796