Jupiter Is Bombing Itself With Ammonia Mushballs

A groundbreaking study by the University of California, Berkeley, has unveiled a previously unknown atmospheric phenomenon on Jupiter: “mushball” hailstorms. These are slushy, ice-coated hailstones composed of ammonia and water, which form during intense lightning storms and plunge deep into the planet’s atmosphere, depleting areas of ammonia.

This discovery not only reshapes our understanding of Jupiter’s weather systems but also offers new insights into the atmospheres of other gas giants, including Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.​

The Science Behind the Mushball Storm

The research presents the first 3D visualisation of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. This detailed model reveals that most of the planet’s weather systems are surprisingly shallow, extending only 10 to 20 kilometres below the cloud deck. However, certain storm systems, such as large storms generating mushballs and lightning, can penetrate much deeper, redistributing ammonia and water and disrupting the previously assumed uniform composition of the atmosphere.​

This finding has significant implications for our understanding of gas giants. It suggests that the upper layers of a planet’s atmosphere may not accurately represent its interior composition. This insight is crucial for interpreting chemical signatures in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets, many of which are large and gaseous.​

The study was conducted by UC Berkeley graduate student Chris Moeckel and Professor Emerita Imke de Pater, who have spent years analysing data from NASA’s Juno mission and Earth-based radio telescopes. Their work challenges previous assumptions about the depth and nature of weather systems on gas giants and opens new avenues for research into planetary atmospheres.​

As scientists continue to explore the complexities of gas giant atmospheres, the discovery of mushball hailstorms on Jupiter serves as a reminder of the dynamic and often unpredictable nature of planetary weather systems.