Juno Finds Massive Cyclones Among Jupiter's Surprises

PASADENA (CNS) - About a year after the JPL-managed Juno spacecraft settled into orbit around Jupiter, scientists released findings Thursday from the ship's initial scans, and the results are forcing researchers to reconsider much of what they thought they knew about the massive planet.

"We knew, going in, that Jupiter would throw us some curves," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "But now that we are here we are finding that Jupiter can throw the heat, as well as knuckleballs and sliders. There is so much going on here that we didn't expect that we have had to take a step back and begin to rethink of this as a whole new Jupiter."

Juno, managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a nearly five-year mission. Findings released Thursday were based on the spacecraft's first data-collection pass in late August, with Juno flying within roughly 2,600 miles of the planet's cloud tops.

Scientists said the data showed the planet has clusters of Earth-sized cyclones at its northern and southern poles. Bolton said it's unclear how the storms formed and whether they are a constant feature of the planet or if they will disappear over time.

Juno readings also found that Jupiter's magnetic fields are far stronger than expected, about 10 times stronger than the strongest magnetic field on Earth -- an indication the fields are generated closer to the surface than previously thought. Radiation readings also gave new insight into the planet's various "belts," with some penetrating deep into the planet and others evolving into other structures.

Overall, the data paint a picture of the planet as a turbulent environment with storm systems deep into the gaseous body.

"We are excited to share these early discoveries, which help us better understand what makes Jupiter so fascinating," said Diane Brown, Juno's program executive at NASA headquarters. "It was a long trip to get to Jupiter, but these first results already demonstrate it was well worth the journey."

The findings were published in the journal Science and in 44 papers in Geophysical Research Letters.

Through the study of the planet, which is mostly hydrogen and helium, scientists hope to gain insight into the formation of the solar system by learning more about the formation of giant planets. At the end of its mission, the Juno spacecraft will plunge into the planet.

City News Service; Photo credits: Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Bjorn Jonsson