Planetary scientists have used material from the 1994 crash of Shoemaker-Levy 9 into Jupiter to measure upper-level winds in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Back in 1994, the comet fragments stirred dark materials from deep in Jupiter up to the surface, where they appeared as dark smudges. Over time, this material was spread out and the spots erased from easy observation. Those unusual molecules, however, stayed in the atmosphere, and using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, researchers have tracked those molecules’ motions. 

The molecule in question is hydrogen cyanide, and its speed: 900 mph. These are upper-level winds, in the Jovian polar region, with the blowing gas being located under the deck of Jupiter’s aurorae. Similar measurements in the equatorial region clocked wind jets at 370 mph. This indicates our models of Jupiter’s high-level atmosphere are pretty much wrong and hints that the future JUICE mission to Jupiter is going to work wonders on improving our understanding of this giant planet’s atmosphere.

More Information

SwRI press release

ESO press release

“First direct measurement of auroral and equatorial jets in the stratosphere of Jupiter,” T. Cavalié et al., 2021 March 18, Astronomy & Astrophysics