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Since entering Jupiter\u2019s orbit in 2016, NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft has completed 37 flybys of the giant planet, shedding light on the unseen processes raging beneath its clouds with each pass.<\/p>\n
Now, scientists studying data taken by the spacecraft\u2019s microwave radiometer (MWR) \u00a0and NASA\u2019s Earth-based Deep Space Network tracking antenna have made new insights into the structure of one of Jupiter\u2019s most iconic features \u2013 the Great Red Spot. With its bright crimson hue and diameter wider than the Earth, this enigmatic anticyclone has captured the imagination of astronomers since its discovery two centuries ago.<\/p>\n
Data from the MWR shows that cyclones within the giant planet\u2019s atmosphere<\/a>, large-scale air masses that rotate anticlockwise around a centre of low atmospheric pressure in the northern hemisphere, are warmer near the top and colder near the bottom. While anticyclones, such as the Great Red Spot, rotate in the opposite direction and are colder at the top but warmer at the bottom.<\/p>\n Read more about Jupiter:<\/strong><\/p>\n The findings also indicate these storms are far taller than expected, with some extending 100km below the cloud tops and others, including the Great Red Spot, extending over 350km.<\/p>\n \u201cPreviously, Juno surprised us with hints that phenomena in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere went deeper than expected,\u201d said Dr Scott Bolton<\/a>, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. \u201cNow, we\u2019re starting to put all these individual pieces together and getting our first real understanding of how Jupiter\u2019s beautiful and violent atmosphere works \u2013 in 3D.\u201d<\/p>\n A second team of researchers then used data on Jupiter\u2019s gravity field recorded by NASA\u2019s Earth-based Deep Space Network tracking antenna to produce a second estimate of the Great Red Spot\u2019s depth. As the Great Red Spot is so large, Juno experiences small gravitational tugs as it flies over it.<\/p>\n