NASA ’s Juno space vehicle has spot a unusual new type of lightning on Jupiter , dancing richly above its cloud , and it may be due to ammonia “ mushballs ” . Lightning has been seen on the gas giant before , but never so high up in its atmosphere , which means here it ca n’t form how we think it did .
Ever since Voyager first clockedlightning flashes on Jupiterin 1979 , planetary scientists have thought lightning pattern therejust like on Earth , in body of water clouds during thunderstorms . Voyager picture this lightning as shiny billet across Jupiter ’s swarm tops that suggested it was indeed originating from deep withinwater clouds . However , the “ shallow lightning ” now envision by Juno on Jupiter ’s blue side pass off way too in high spirits – where it ’s far too frigid – for water clouds .
Instead , research worker led by Heidi Becker , Juno ’s Radiation Monitoring Investigation lead at NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , recall this lightning is due to liquid ammonia acting as an ” antifreeze ” .
" Juno ’s close flybys of the cloud tops allowed us to see something surprising – modest , shallower flashes – originating at much higher altitudes in Jupiter ’s atmosphere than antecedently wear possible,“saidBecker .
InNature , Becker and colleagues suggest that the violent thunderstorm Jupiter is far-famed for fling water - sparkler crystals high up into its atmosphere , where atmospheric ammonia water melts the glass and forms a new H2O - ammonia result that scientists have called “ mushballs ” . Where the lightning was seen , at around 25 km ( 16 miles ) higher than Jupiter ’s piddle cloud , temperature ordinary -88 ° C ( -126 ° F ) , which is far too cold for liquid water to exist .
" At these altitudes , the ammonia act like an antifreeze , lowering the melting point of pee deoxyephedrine and allowing the formation of a swarm with ammonia - water liquid state , " said Becker . " In this new DoS , decrease droplets of ammonia - water liquid can collide with the upgoing water - ice quartz and electrify the cloud . This was a big surprisal , as ammonia - water cloud do not be on Earth . "
A 2nd paper in theJournal of Geophysical Research : Planetshas described how these mushballs – essentially slushy ammonia - ample hailstone – form . On Jupiter , at very low temperatures , ammonia vapor dissolves into water ice to make a fluent phase that is about one - third ammonium hydroxide , two - thirds water ice . During Jupiter ’s violent storm , hailstone form from this liquid state in the same way they do on Earth ; a slush like substance anatomy surrounded by a level of ice , which cumulate more ice as it gets bounce around by updrafts and downdraft in the atmosphere .
It could be these mushballs colliding with water ice particles at in high spirits ALT while being fling about by Jupiter ’s annoy storms that build up an electrical charge and spark this shallow lightning .
If you fancy it , take a fake trip inside one of Jupiter ’s alien high - EL electrical storms and see the shallow lightning , sail the towering thunderstorms , and parry ammonia - water supply rain for yourself .
