Scientists have discovered that Jupiter's atmosphere is experiencing an odd phenomenon. On the largest planet in our solar system, researchers have discovered surprising weather patterns. Scientists arrived at this conclusion after monitoring the atmosphere with satellites and ground-based telescopes for four decades.
The 3-degree tilt of the enormous planet results in little variation in the quantity of sunlight it absorbs throughout the year, yet scientists have found that the planet experiences regular temperature cycles.
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Some of the greatest telescopes in the world, including the Very Large Telescope in Chile, NASA's infrared telescope facility, and the Subaru Telescope at the Mauna Kea Observatories in Hawaii, have been used in the research, which began in 1978.
Leigh Fletcher, an astronomer at the University of Leicester, and a co-author of the new study said in a NASA release that "we've solved a single piece of the jigsaw now, which is that the atmosphere shows these natural cycles."
He explained, "To fully comprehend what's producing such formations and why they happen on these particular timescales, we need to investigate both above and below the fog layers.
The research team has discovered clues suggesting that the phenomenon known as teleconnection may be involved in these unusual seasons.
According to the latest study, on Jupiter, some latitudes in the northern hemisphere experience temperature increases, while similar latitudes in the southern hemisphere experience cooling.
Researchers believe that now that they have a better understanding of Jupiter's, they will be able to better predict Jupiter's weather in the future.
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Cover Image: NASA