Jupiter’s strange atmosphere may have formed in a gigantic shadow
The atmosphere of Jupiter, captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSA
The mix of gases that make up Jupiter’s atmosphere has long puzzled astronomers, but now it seems that the giant planet’s shadowy birthplace may be responsible.
Jupiter has a high ratio of nitrogen noble gases in its atmosphere, but these gases are thought to only form in extremely cold temperatures. Although the average temperature in Jupiter’s clouds is around -150°C, this is still too warm for the gases to come together.
Previous ideas have suggested that Jupiter …