The never-before-seen jet stream is located above the planet's equator.
Share on email Learning more about Jupiter and its atmosphere can help scientists piece together how gas giant planets in more distant parts of space may have evolved.The newfound jet stream above Jupiter's equator stretches 3,000 miles wide and travels at 320 miles per hour in Jupiter's lower stratosphere, according to NASA.
"This is something that totally surprised us," Ricardo Hueso of the University of the Basque Country and an author of the "What we have always seen as blurred hazes in Jupiter's atmosphere now appear as crisp features that we can track along with the planet's fast rotation."The JWST looks out into the universe in infrared light, allowing the telescope to cut through dust and reveal new details of familiar — or unfamiliar — objects.
"If the strength of this new jet is connected to this oscillating stratospheric pattern, we might expect the jet to vary considerably over the next 2 to 4 years – it'll be really exciting to test this theory in the years to come."Share on linkedin
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