For centuries, researchers tried to figure out the composition of Jupiter. This is not surprising, because before us is the largest planet in the system, which by chemical composition is closest to the Sun. Understanding Jupiter will allow you to learn more about how the Solar System appeared and how others developed. In addition, the most exciting question remains: is there any water in the atmosphere of the giant and, if so, how much?
Researchers from the Center for Space Flight. Goddard was informed that they were closer to the answer. Studying the depths of the Great Red Spot, we managed to find chemical signatures of water over the deepest clouds of the planet. Scientists believe that water pressure combined with measurements of another oxygen-containing gas (carbon monoxide) hints that Jupiter has 2-9 times more oxygen than the Sun. These findings support models that indicate the abundance of water from oxygen bound by molecular hydrogen.
The Big Red Spot is tightly covered with clouds, which makes it difficult for the EM-energy to come out and prevents them from looking deeper. But the team moved further due to curiosity and new spectroscopic technology. The collected data was planned to be investigated on a NASA Juno spacecraft, which revolves every 20 days around the planet from north to south.
Juno is also engaged in the search for water with its own infrared spectrometer and a microwave radiometer, capable of wading up to a maximum depth of up to 100 bar. If the device provides a hint of water and converges with the data of astrophysicists, then we can, in theory, look for water on Saturn, Uranus or Neptune. Juno is the newest spacecraft tasked with finding water, probably in gas form on the gas giant.
The animation demonstrates a flight simulation from the upper atmosphere of Jupiter to the point of the Great Red Spot. Created by combining images from JunoCam spacecraft Juno with computer animation. The prospect begins about 3000 km above the cloudy tops of the southern hemisphere. The bar at the top left indicates altitude during a period of rapid descent. The second pointer shows sharp temperature jumps during descending. When passing through the Great Red Spot, the clouds change color to crimson.
Water is a significant and abundant molecule in the solar system. It spawned earthly life and controls a host of important processes, including the weather. This is a critical factor in the violent activity of Jupiter, as well as determining whether the planet has a core of stone and ice. It is assumed that this is the first world created by siphoning elements left over from the formation of the Sun, as the star merges from an amorphous nebula into a fiery gas ball. Previously, Jupiter was believed to be similar in composition to the sun: a hydrogen balloon with a hint of helium without a nucleus.
But there is evidence that Jupiter has a nucleus that is 10 times larger than the Earth’s mass. The spacecraft found evidence that the planet had formed a core of stone and water ice before mixing with the gases from the solar nebula, which created the atmosphere. This is supported by many factors, including the fact that lightning and thunder are also caused by humidity. In search of water, researchers used radiation data collected from the summit of Mauna Kea (Hawaii) in 2017. They relied on the most sensitive terrestrial telescope at the Keck Observatory, as well as a new instrument capable of capturing a wider range of gases. The idea was to analyze the light energy emitted by the clouds of Jupiter to determine the heights of the cloud layers. This will allow you to calculate the temperature and other conditions affecting the types of gases.
Experts expect that there are three cloud layers on Jupiter: the lower one from water ice and liquid water, the middle one is ammonia and sulfur, and the upper one is ammonia. To confirm this with a terrestrial review, scientists looked at the wavelengths in the infrared light, where most of the gases do not absorb heat, which allows it to leak in the form of methane gas. Jupiter is too warm to freeze methane, so its abundance should not change between locations on the planet.
Thus, it was possible to find evidence of three cloud layers in the Great Red Spot. Deep located at 5 bar and its temperature reaches the freezing point of water (a huge hint of a water cloud). The location of the water cloud, as well as the amount of carbon monoxide, argue in favor of the filling of Jupiter with oxygen and water. Now you need to use these methods to test other areas of the gas giant to get a complete picture of the global abundance of water.
