NASA has released a mesmerizing image of a neon green flash illuminating Jupiter’s swirling clouds. The flash is the result of lightning near the gas giant’s north pole, a phenomenon that resembles lightning on Earth. While terrestrial lightning is commonly found near the equator in water clouds, Jupiter’s lightning occurs in clouds with an ammonia-water solution and is predominantly observed near the poles.
The photograph was taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during its 31st close flyby, when it was approximately 19,900 miles above Jupiter’s cloud tops. Although the image was captured in December 2020, it was only recently released after a citizen scientist processed the data from the JunoCam instrument.
Jovian lightning, as it is called, was initially discovered by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979. However, it wasn’t until the Juno mission that scientists confirmed its similarity to Earth’s lightning. According to Shannon Brown, a Juno scientist from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, lightning bolts on any planet act as radio transmitters, emitting radio waves when they flash across the sky.
Prior to Juno’s observations, lightning signals detected by previous spacecraft were limited to visual detections or the kilohertz range of the radio spectrum. The Juno mission successfully captured lightning signals in the megahertz range, providing invaluable insights into this celestial phenomenon.
Juno has also captured other captivating events, such as electric blue “sprites” and “elves” dancing in Jupiter’s atmosphere. These transient luminous events, typically observed on Earth during thunderstorms, were observed for the first time on another world. The flashes, known as sprites, resemble jellyfish with tendrils flowing downward, while elves appear as flattened glowing discs stretching up to 200 miles across the sky.
These sprites and elves were spotted at an altitude of 186 miles above Jupiter’s water-cloud layer, ruling out the possibility of them being mega-bolts of lightning. Juno’s ongoing exploration of Jupiter’s mysteries continues to provide valuable data that will enhance our understanding of this turbulent planet.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
