Jupiter's mysterious "hot spots" might finally be able to be explained. A NASA scientist and his team have published a paper stating that these cloudless regions near Jupiter's equator are caused by a Rossby wave - something that exists here on Earth as well.
"This is the first time anybody has closely tracked the shape of multiple hot spots over a period of time, which is the best way to appreciate the dynamic nature of these features," said the study's lead author, David Choi, a NASA postdoctoral fellow.
The study, published in the April issue of the journal Icarus, was carried out by Choi and three others and titled, "Meteorology of Jupiter's equatorial hot spots and plumes from Cassini."
Hot spots got their name from the fact that the warmer deeper layers underneath make them show up rather brightly on infrared wavelengths. A Rossby wave, meanwhile, is a type of atmospheric weather pattern that can be seen here on Earth.
"On Earth, Rossby waves play a major role in weather. For example, when a blast of frigid Arctic air suddenly dips down and freezes Florida's crops, a Rossby wave is interacting with the polar jet stream and sending it off its typical course. The wave travels around our planet but periodically wanders north and south as it goes," explains the NASA press release.
Choi and his team analyzed data from the Cassini spacecraft's 2000 flyby of Jupiter and created time lapse movies. By looking closely at hot spots over a two-month period, the researchers were then able to map out weather patterns that could cause cloudless regions the size of North America to form in Jupiter's rather hazy heavens. What they found was that hot spot growth seemed to follow a pattern that would be created by a Rossby wave.
The findings will help scientists further understand Jupiter, as these clear hot spots offer a rare glimpse into Jupiter past its misty clouds.