Articles tagged with Jupiter
Juno's Microwave Radiometer reveals Io's heat output by looking below the surface, breaking new observational ground for volcanic and icy worlds. The findings suggest a steep gradient of rising temperatures just several feet into Io's surface, with possible explanations including conductive crust heating or cooling lava flows.
Researchers found that Jupiter's strong magnetic field created a cavity in its circumplanetary disk, which captured the largest four moons, including Ganymede. In contrast, Saturn's weaker magnetic field failed to form a cavity, resulting in only one large moon, Titan. This discovery provides insight into the formation of satellite sys...
The UVS instrument collected data on the comet's composition, including oxygen, hydrogen, and dust-related features. The unique sunward viewpoint provided a downstream view of the comet's tails, allowing researchers to gain insights into its geometries.
Astronomers used Gemini South and James Webb Space Telescope to detect silane in ancient brown dwarf's atmosphere, revealing how primordial formation impacts planet atmospheres. The discovery confirms understanding of gas giant cloud formation and offers insight into the composition of distant worlds.
The Europlanet Science Congress 2025 will feature press briefings on the RAMSES mission to asteroid Apophis and recent discoveries with the Juno Mission. These events aim to improve our ability to defend Earth from potential asteroid threats.
Researchers at Nagoya University and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics have determined how molten rock droplets formed in Jupiter's early days. Their study shows that chondrule characteristics are influenced by the water content of impacting planetesimals, providing a clearer picture of solar system formation.
New research suggests Jupiter's core is actually formed through gradual absorption of heavy and light materials as the planet grew, rather than a massive collision. This dilute core structure blends into the surrounding layers without a sharp boundary.
A new Durham University study challenges the idea that Jupiter's dilute core was formed by a giant impact, instead suggesting it resulted from how the growing planet absorbed heavy and light materials as it formed. This discovery also sheds light on Saturn's similar dilute core, implying these structures may form gradually during plane...
The University of Minnesota researchers discovered a new type of plasma wave in Jupiter's aurora, which helps understand the phenomenon and its potential applications for protecting Earth. The study reveals that Jupiter's magnetic field allows particles to flood into the polar cap, unlike on Earth.
Researchers used an experimental technique called annealing to rescue a damaged camera on NASA's Juno spacecraft, offering lessons for other space systems that experience high radiation.
Planetary scientists confirmed that Jupiter's mushball hailstorms occur due to unmixing of ammonia and water in the upper atmosphere. The storms are accompanied by fierce lightning and can punch through shallow weather systems, challenging long-held assumptions about gas giant atmospheres.
A Southwest Research Institute-led team identified electrons with energies enhanced by processes in the Alfvén wing, shaping the plasma environment around Io. These energized electrons interact with Io's atmosphere and surface, ionizing atoms and molecules and creating aurora.
New research reveals that exoplanets with masses similar to Jupiter formed much sooner than previously thought, suggesting the accretion process takes place early. This finding could lead scientists to re-evaluate and revamp their theories of planet formation for the solar system and elsewhere.
Researchers from UNSW Sydney have discovered a potential new exoplanet using the transit timing variation method. The new planet is estimated to be 10-16 times the size of Earth and orbits its star in under 16 days.
A UNIGE study has overturned the assumption that Hot Jupiters orbit alone, discovering a unique multi-planetary system with an inner Super-Earth and an outer massive giant planet. The WASP-132 system's unexpected architecture raises new questions about planet formation and evolution.
Amateur astronomers, led by Dr. Steven Hill, used a simple analytical method to map ammonia and cloud heights in Jupiter's atmosphere. They found that the primary clouds are likely composed of ammonium hydrosulphide, not ammonia ice, due to photochemical reactions.
The Juno mission has discovered that Io's volcanoes are likely fueled by their own chambers of roiling hot magma rather than an ocean of magma. This finding solves a long-standing mystery about the moon's subsurface origins and provides new insights into Io's volcanic activity.
Hubble's OPAL program has observed the four giant outer planets since 2018, providing long-term baseline data on their atmospheric changes. The observations have led to remarkable discoveries, including the measurement of Jupiter's wind speeds and Saturn's ring system colors.
Researchers have discovered unusual, Earth-size magnetically driven vortices generating dense, hydrocarbon haze at Jupiter's poles. The dark ovals hint at strong interactions between the planet's magnetic field and atmosphere.
Scientists analyzed particles from asteroid Ryugu, revealing a weak magnetic field that likely pulled matter inward to form the outer planetary bodies. The team estimates that such a low-grade field intensity would have been enough to play a role in giant planet formation, from Jupiter to Neptune.
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is not as stable as initially thought, with observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope showing it jiggles like a bowl of gelatin. The GRS's size oscillates as it accelerates and decelerates, pushing against windy jet streams.
Astronomers at Cornell University studied Io's volcanoes to understand tidal heating and its role in planetary formation. They found active volcanoes at the poles, which may regulate tidal heating and provide insight into the moon's internal structure.
A new volcano has been discovered on Jupiter's moon Io through analysis of JunoCam images, featuring multiple lava flows and volcanic deposits. The volcano is located just south of the equator and showcases the moon's ongoing geological activity.
Ravit Helled received the 2024 Paolo Farinella Prize for her work on planetary interiors, proposing a dilute core structure that was later confirmed by mission data. Her research also explores giant planet formation and evolution, with international contributions to NASA and ESA missions.
Astronomers at MIT and Penn State have discovered a new 'progenitor' of hot Jupiters, a highly eccentric planet with an orbit providing clues to its evolution. The planet, TIC 241249530 b, is expected to become a scorching hot Jupiter in about 1 billion years.
A team of astronomers has discovered an exoplanet with an elongated and backwards orbit, which holds clues to the formation history and future trajectories of high-mass gas giants. The exoplanet, named TIC 241249530 b, is approximately five times more massive than Jupiter and orbits its host star in a highly eccentric path.
Researchers analyzed NASA satellite images of Jupiter's cyclones and found that storms are fueled by processes similar to those on Earth. Fronts in the space between cyclones also contribute to energy transport, sustaining giant storms.
Researchers captured a volcanic event on Io using the Large Binocular Telescope's SHARK-VIS instrument, achieving higher resolution than ever before with Earth-based observations. The images reveal surface details equivalent to taking a picture of a dime-sized object from 100 miles away.
A team of international researchers has measured the molecular diffusion coefficient of a supercritical fluid, revealing a gradual transition from gas-like to liquid-like behavior across the Widom line. This study contributes to our understanding of supercritical fluid dynamics and holds implications for planetary science.
Scientists have discovered a new planet called WASP-193b that is 50% bigger than Jupiter yet has a density comparable to cotton candy. The planet's low density makes it an outlier among the over 5,400 planets discovered so far.
New discoveries about Jupiter's magnetosphere shed light on its interaction with the solar wind and Earth's magnetic field. The research, published in AGU Advances, shows that Jupiter has a largely closed magnetic field at its poles but open field lines, which could influence Earth's space weather forecasting.
A research team discovered that intense ultraviolet radiation from massive stars can either form planets or prevent their formation. The JWST data showed that a Jupiter-like planet would not be able to form in the Orion Nebula due to rapid photoevaporation, contradicting previous theories.
Astronomers have discovered a small, cold exoplanet with an orbital period of 146 days, providing insight into planetary formation and evolution. The planet, HD88986b, is about twice the size of Earth and orbits a star similar to the Sun.
Researchers have discovered a Jupiter-sized planet, WASP-69b, with a comet-like tail that trails the planet for at least 350,000 miles. The tail is shaped and pushed in the direction of Earth by radiation and an outflow of gas from its host star, providing a rare opportunity to study planetary mass-loss in real time.
A team of researchers from Portugal used the ESPRESSO spectrograph to measure wind speeds on Jupiter, confirming the feasibility of Doppler velocimetry for monitoring the planet's atmospheric winds. The study also gathered historical data to compare results and validate the method.
New studies show that giant gas planets in nearby star systems can prevent life on smaller, rocky planet neighbors by kicking them out of orbit and wreaking havoc on their climates. Researchers found that four giant planets in the HD 141399 system are likely to destroy the chances for life on Earth-like planets.
A new jet stream has been discovered in Jupiter's upper atmosphere by the James Webb Space Telescope, showing winds reaching speeds of up to 500 km/h. The discovery provides new insights into the atmospheric dynamics of gas giants and could shed light on global temperature variations.
The discovery reveals insights into how the layers of Jupiter's atmosphere interact with each other and how the planet's fast rotation affects the wind patterns. The research team analyzed data from Webb's NIRCam to track the jet stream, which is located around 25 miles above the clouds in Jupiter's lower stratosphere.
Researchers have confirmed the presence of chromium hydride in the atmosphere of hot Jupiter exoplanet WASP-31b using high-resolution spectral observations. This detection opens the possibility of using chromium hydride as a 'thermometer' to determine the temperature and other characteristics of exoplanets.
Researchers report the discovery of a hot Jupiter-like object orbiting a nearby star, offering insights into extreme planetary and stellar evolution. The binary system's brown dwarf component reveals temperature differences of up to 6,000 degrees between its dayside and nightside hemispheres.
Researchers reviewed techniques for Jupiter capture trajectories, including satellite-aided captures and multiple-satellite-aided captures. They also examined tour trajectories of Galilean moons using patched-conics models and three-body trajectory designs.
A team led by SwRI and UTSA discovered Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities in Jupiter's magnetosphere, enabling the transfer of energy and mass from the solar wind. This process is crucial for understanding the interaction between the solar wind and planetary magnetic fields.
Researchers discovered the abundance of rock-forming elements in WASP-76 b's atmosphere, which matches its host star and our own Sun closely. The team found that certain elements are depleted due to temperature conditions, providing insight into the sensitivity of giant planet atmospheres.
A study by Indiana University astronomer Songhu Wang reveals that at least a fraction of hot Jupiters cannot form through violent processes, suggesting a new understanding of their evolution. Researchers found 12% of hot Jupiters and 70% of warm Jupiters have nearby planetary companions.
Researchers used the NIRISS instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope to create a temperature map of the exoplanet WASP-18 b, revealing a huge temperature change from day to night sides. Water vapor was also detected in the atmosphere at various elevations.
A new study reveals that asteroid Dinkinesh is remarkably small, making it the smallest asteroid to be approached by Lucy. It is a stony, S-type asteroid composed mainly of silicates and some metal.
A UTSA-led research team has discovered a new exoplanet using indirect methods. The exoplanet, HIP 99770 b, is about 14 to 16 times the mass of Jupiter and orbits a nearly twice-as-massive star. This breakthrough opens a new avenue for scientists to discover and characterize exoplanets.
Researchers attribute unusual radar properties to coherent backscatter opposition effect (CBOE) and ice surface irregularities. The CBOE model, improved by Hofgartner and Hand, can explain all icy satellite radar properties.
Researchers found giant gas giants orbiting low-mass stars, challenging the widely accepted planet formation model. The study used NASA's TESS satellite data and identified 15 potential giant planets, with five confirmed as actual planets.
A recent experiment by UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane demonstrates that a terrestrial planet in this location would have disastrous effects on the solar system. The simulation found that such a planet could destabilize Earth's orbit, making it far less habitable and potentially ejecting Mercury and Venus from the solar system.
Researchers at Imperial College London found that around half of Earth's zinc inventory came from asteroids in the outer Solar System, contributing to the emergence of life on Earth. The study suggests that this material supplied other important volatiles like water, crucial for sustaining life.
An international team of scientists suggests that an outward, fast migration of Jupiter can distort the configuration of Trojan swarms, resulting in more stable orbits in one swarm than the other. This new mechanism provides a natural explanation for the observed asymmetry in the number of asteroids in the L4 and L5 swarms.
Scientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) used data from NASA's Juno spacecraft to observe magnetic reconnection between Ganymede and Jupiter. The study found accelerated electrons traveling along the magnetic field at Ganymede's magnetopause, indicating the presence of reconnection.
A recent VLA and ALMA study investigated Jupiter's atmosphere and Io's volcanic activity, shedding light on the giant planet's complex dynamics. The research revealed the vertical structure of Jupiter's atmosphere and found high-temperature compounds, including NaCl and KCl, in Io's atmosphere, suggesting differences in subsurface magm...
Scientists have discovered a massive heat wave in Jupiter's atmosphere, extending over 10 Earth diameters and reaching temperatures of 700 degrees Celsius. The heat wave was triggered by solar wind plasma impacting the planet's magnetic field, distributing energy globally around Jupiter.
Citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt presents 3D renders of Jupiter's cloud tops using JunoCam data, revealing textured swirls and peaks. The team uses solar illumination to pinpoint elevation, aiming to unveil the chemical composition of the clouds.
A new study suggests that Earth's habitability could increase if Jupiter's orbit becomes more eccentric, leading to parts of the surface warming up and becoming habitable for multiple life forms. The researchers also found that this change in Jupiter's orbit could have implications for the search for habitable planets around other stars.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have proposed a novel origin for Jupiter-like planets around massive stars. Massive stars can capture or steal planets from other stars in densely populated stellar nurseries, a process known as a 'planetary heist'.
New research by UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane suggests that Jupiter's four main moons would quickly destroy any large ring formations. This prevents Jupiter from having substantial rings, unlike Saturn. The study provides evidence of catastrophic events in the past through the analysis of ring compositions and shapes.
Citizen scientists can help categorize tens of thousands of images from NASA's Juno spacecraft to identify atmospheric vortices and learn about the physics behind their formation. The project aims to study Jupiter's atmosphere and create a computer algorithm for future identification, also benefiting research on Earth's weather patterns.