magnetic vortices are descending of Jupiter The ionosphere is believed to trigger the formation of ultraviolet-absorbing anticyclonic storms in its deep atmosphere, according to a study published Nov. 26 in Nature Astronomy. These storms, which appear as dark ovals, span the size of Earth and are observed primarily in Jupiter’s polar regions. This phenomenon was first discovered in ultraviolet (UV) light by the Hubble Space Telescope in the 1990s and later confirmed NASA’s The Cassini spacecraft in 2000.
Research reveals tornado dynamics
StudyPublished in the journal Nature, it was led by Troy Tsubota, a graduate researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, in collaboration with Michael Wong of UC Berkeley, Amy Simon of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and others.
The findings suggest that these dark ovals are formed by Jupiter’s giant magnetic field lines and swirling magnetic whirlwinds caused by friction in its ionosphere. These tornadoes are believed to stir up aerosolsCreating dense patches of UV-absorbing haze in the stratosphere.
Role of Io plasma torus
Study highlights that Jupiter’s magnetic field is one of the strongest Solar systemIo interacts with the plasma torus – a ring of charged particles released by volcanic activity on Jupiter’s moon Io. This interaction produces friction, potentially generating magnetic vortices that descend into the planet’s atmosphere.
The exact mechanism remains unclear, with researchers debating whether these tornadoes draw material from deeper atmospheric layers or produce the haze independently.
Regular observations confirm the pattern
The Outer Planets Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) project, which captures annual images of Jupiter using the Hubble Space Telescope, played a key role in the discovery. Between 2015 and 2022, dark ovals were seen over the south pole in 75% of images, but were significantly rarer over the north pole. These structures typically appear within a month and dissipate within two weeks, similar to a magnetic “tornado alley”.