Earth Sized Magnetic Tornado Storms Are Now Spawning On Jupiter

Planetary scientists are now issuing a tornado warning for Jupiter, as sightings of various Magnetic Tornado storms have been made across the planet’s atmosphere. From the sightings of these storms, it is reported that they are only noticeable in ultraviolet (UV) lights.

The Hidden Mechanics of Magnetic Storms

The first sightings of these storms were confirmed by the Hubble Space Telescope back in the early 20th century at Jupiter’s North Pole. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft also confirmed these storms in 2000 as it flew from Jupiter to Saturn.

While these sightings were made years ago, there was no official understanding of the origin of these storms. However, a new study by Troy Tsubota of the University of California points out the origin of these magnetic storms.

According to his research work and findings, these storms are formed by “swirling magnetic tornadoes produced when friction occurs between magnetic field lines in Jupiter’s immensely strong magnetic field.”

Once created, these magnetic tornadoes stir up aerosols in the lower atmosphere, which creates a dark patch. The said patch swirls, either creating a haze or absorbing a haze from Jupiter. Xi Zhang, an expert on planetary atmospheres, identifies the possible cause of the formation of the dark haze. The formation is likely due to “swirling vortex dynamics rather than chemical reactions triggered by high-energy particles from the upper atmosphere.”

Key Findings from Hubble Images

To better understand these storms sighted on Jupiter, Troy’s study relied on images of Jupiter taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. These images are part of the NASA Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project.

From his findings via the images, sightings of the Magnetic Tornado Storms were found eight times at the planet’s south pole. However, the storm was only found twice at the North Pole, showing a lower frequency of occurrence in that region.

Most of the storms discovered take about a month to form and dissipate within a few weeks. More details on these magnetic tornado storms on Jupiter will keep rolling out, hence providing more details about the planet’s atmosphere.