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- Scientists discovered Earth-sized dark ovals<\/strong> near Jupiter\u2019s poles, likely caused by magnetic tornadoes in its upper atmosphere which stir up thick haze layers.<\/li>\n
- These ovals, visible in ultraviolet images,<\/strong> appear about 75% of the time at the south pole and less frequently at the north, highlighting dynamic processes in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere.<\/li>\n
- The research connects<\/strong> Jupiter\u2019s magnetic field, auroras, and deep atmospheric layers, revealing how magnetic and atmospheric forces interact across the planet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Magnetic tornadoes and dark ovals<\/h3>\n
You\u2019ve heard of Jupiter\u2019s Great Red Spot (seen in dark blue in the ultraviolet image above). But how about the ephemeral, Earth-sized dark ovals by Jupiter\u2019s poles? They might be an indication of processes in Jupiter\u2019s magnetic field. Scientists said last week that these dark ovals are likely whipped up by a disturbance high in Jupiter\u2019s ionosphere. They described\u00a0a magnetic tornado stirring up the haze.<\/p>\n
The dark ovals on Jupiter aren\u2019t constant features \u2026 is anything in nature constant<\/em>? The scientists analyzed yearly images that the Hubble Space Telescope captured between the years 2015 and 2022. In these ultraviolet-light images, a dark oval appears 75% of the time at Jupiter\u2019s south pole. And, in eight images from Jupiter\u2019s north pole, the scientists counted one dark oval. <\/p>\n
The scientists said the Earth-sized ovals typically appear in Jupiter\u2019s stratospheric layers, under the region where Jupiter\u2019s bright auroras reside. <\/p>\n
Jupiter has a strong magnetic field. The scientists said these dark ovals might indicate a process creating disturbances not just high in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere, but reaching deep into the atmosphere. <\/p>\n
The peer-reviewed journal Nature Astronomy<\/em> published the result of the scientists\u2019 study on November 26, 2024.<\/p>\n
The 2025 EarthSky Lunar Calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Makes a great gift. Get yours today!<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2021\/07\/JUPITER-AURORA-HUBBLE-TELESCOPE-2016.png\")
The Hubble Space Telescope captured Jupiter\u2019s bright auroras in 2016. The dark ovals appear in the same regions of Jupiter as the aurora. Image via NASA\/ ESA\/ J. Nichols (University of Leicester).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Jupiter\u2019s dark ovals<\/h3>\n
Hubble first spotted these dark ovals in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere in the late 1990s. Hubble\u2019s Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project takes yearly images of the gas giant planets in order to track their changing atmospheres. But the dark ovals on Jupiter haven\u2019t drawn a lot of attention from scientists. Co-author Troy Tsubota of UC Berkeley said: <\/p>\n
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In the first two months, we realized these OPAL images were like a gold mine, in some sense, and I very quickly was able to construct this analysis pipeline and send all the images through to see what we get. That\u2019s when we realized we could actually do some good science and real data analysis and start talking with collaborators about why these show up.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Magnetic tornadoes stir up the haze<\/h3>\n
Tsubota and co-author Michael Wong reached out to planetary atmospheric scientists to understand what might cause these dark ovals. Co-author Tom Stallard at Northumbria University in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the U.K. suggested the ovals might be stirred up by magnetic tornadoes. Stallard had previously detected spinning in the Jovian ionosphere, which can create friction that leads to haze. Another source of atmospheric friction would be from the volcanic moon Io, which expels hot plasma that Jupiter\u2019s magnetic field lines sweep up.<\/p>\n
So the ovals likely come from the spinning atmosphere above in the way that a tornado on Earth reaches down to stir up the dusty landscape. Planetary atmospheric scientist and co-author Xi Zhang at UC Santa Cruz said: <\/p>\n
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The haze in the dark ovals is 50 times thicker than the typical concentration, which suggests it likely forms due to swirling vortex dynamics rather than chemical reactions triggered by high-energy particles from the upper atmosphere. Our observations showed that the timing and location of these energetic particles do not correlate with the appearance of the dark ovals.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
![\"Magnetic](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Jupiter-ultraviolet-Troy-Tsubota-and-Michael-Wong-UC-Berkeley-e1732718081418.jpg\")
Here\u2019s a closer look at just the southern hemisphere of Jupiter in false color. Note the reddish-brown oval inside the darker region. Scientists think this could be haze stirred up by a vortex higher up in the Jovian ionosphere. Image via Troy Tsubota and Michael Wong\/ UC Berkeley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n A better understanding of Jupiter<\/h3>\n
Wong said: <\/p>\n
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Studying connections between different atmospheric layers is very important for all planets, whether it\u2019s an exoplanet, Jupiter or Earth. We see evidence for a process connecting everything in the entire Jupiter system, from the interior dynamo to the satellites and their plasma tori to the ionosphere to the stratospheric hazes. Finding these examples helps us to understand the planet as a whole.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Bottom line: Scientists have analyzed dark ovals that appear near the poles on Jupiter. They believe magnetic tornadoes in higher atmospheric layers are stirring up the haze.<\/p>\n
Source: UV-dark polar ovals on Jupiter as tracers of magnetosphere\u2013atmosphere connections<\/p>\n
Via UC Berkeley<\/p>\n
Read more: Jupiter\u2019s stormy weather on display in new Hubble images<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\n - These ovals, visible in ultraviolet images,<\/strong> appear about 75% of the time at the south pole and less frequently at the north, highlighting dynamic processes in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere.<\/li>\n