The atmosphere of Jupiter is very active due to the gas giant nature of the planet. Juno, a spacecraft that has been sent by NASA to observe the planet, has managed to capture impressive images of a merger between two oval storms.
The merger is easy to spot in one of the images that have been captured by Juno. Two oval forms that seem to have the shape of a snowman can be seen in the middle of an orange band. The white spots are, in fact, anticyclones which can rotate counter-clockwise. For many people, the Great Red Spot is the signature trait of the planet, but it is also the most famous example of anticyclone storms.
Researchers have been observing the more significant oval storms for several years. It has consumed several anticyclones in the past, and it tends to grow more extensive as it mergers with other storms of this type.
Juno snapped stunning merging storms on Jupiter
The timing at which the picture was taken is also quite impressive since mergers can take place in a few days. It is also interesting that the two storms interacted a few months ago but went on different trajectories.
In other news, Juno has also spotted a selection of interesting chemicals on Jupiter. Many researchers have been puzzled by the fact that the atmosphere appears to contain a surprising amount of water. In 1995 the Galileo Probe operated by NASA was able to reach the atmosphere and collect relevant data.
An analysis of the data revealed that the atmosphere lacks the presence of oxygen and hydrogen in high quantities. At that time, it was thought that the atmosphere is even drier than that of the Sun. However, data sent by Juno inferred that up to 0.25% of Jupiter’s atmosphere is represented by water, with the concentration being three times higher in comparison to the Sun. More data and images will be shared in the future.
