Study Reveals Amateur Role in Jupiter Weather Watch

Jupiter's remarkable appearance is due to its turbulent atmosphere. This gas giant is encircled by swirling clouds, and their arrangement reveals information about the planet's weather. While professional observatories like the Very Large Telescope in Chile and spacecraft such as the Juno orbiter have been used to study Jupiter's meteorology, these methods still have limitations in continuous monitoring. Amateur astronomers have partially addressed this gap by tracking visible clouds and winds.

A recent paper in Earth and Space Science by Hill and colleagues presents a new approach to observing Jupiter's weather using relatively low-cost equipment. This method could enable amateur astronomers to contribute more significantly to understanding the planet's conditions.

Unlike Earth's water-based clouds, Jupiter's upper clouds are believed to be composed mainly of ammonia ice. The amount of ammonia in Jupiter's atmosphere affects its weather patterns. Ammonia absorbs red light at a wavelength of 647 nanometers, while methane, whose concentration is stable and well-known, absorbs orange light at 619 nanometers.

The researchers used a commercially available $4,000 telescope to capture images of Jupiter and looked for areas where the absorption of light at 647 nanometers was higher compared to 619 nanometers. This difference indicated areas with more ammonia. By analyzing these absorption ratios along with the constant amount of methane, they could estimate ammonia levels.

This study revealed variations in ammonia distribution over periods ranging from weeks to years, but more data is needed to fully understand these changes. The authors hope that amateur astronomers can apply this technique to gather and share additional data, potentially enabling more frequent monitoring of Jupiter's weather, even on a weekly or daily basis.