Jupiter Loses One of its Belts

Font Size:

A+ A-

Jupiter has lost one of its iconic red stripes and scientists are baffled as to why.

The largest planet in our solar system is usually dominated by two dark bands in its atmosphere, with one in the northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere.

However, the most recent images taken by amateur astronomers have revealed the lower stripe known as the Southern Equatorial Belt has disappeared leaving the southern half of the planet looking unusually bare.

The band was present in at the end of last year before Jupiter ducked behind the Sun on its orbit. However, when it emerged three months later the belt had disappeared.

The planet is a giant ball of gas and liquid around 500million miles from the Sun. It's surface is composed of dense red, brown, yellow, and white clouds arranged in light-coloured areas called zones and darker regions called belts.

These clouds are created by chemicals that have formed at different heights. The highest white clouds in the zones are made of crystals of frozen ammonia. Darker, lower clouds are created from chemicals including sulphur and phosphorus. The clouds are blown into bands by 350mph winds caused by Jupiter's rapid rotation.

Noted Jupiter watcher Anthony Wesley, who spotted an impact spot on its surface last year, has tracked the disappearing belt from his back garden in Australia.

'It was obvious last year that it was fading. It was closely observed by anyone watching Jupiter,' he told The Planetary Society.

'There was a big rush on to find out what had changed once it came back into view.'

Mr Wesley said while it was a mystery as to what had caused the belt to fade, the most likely explanation was that it was linked to storm activity that preceded the change.

'The question now is when will the South Equatorial belt erupt back into activity and reappear?' Mr Wesley said.

The pattern for this happening is when a brilliant white spot forms in the southern zone. Gradually it will start to spout dark blobs of material which will be stretched by Jupiter's fierce winds into a new belt, and the planet will return to its familiar 'tyre track' appearance.

Jupiter will be closest to Earth on September 24, offering stargazers their best chance of seeing it without its stripe.

Via DailyMail

Like Next Post Send Share WhatsApp

Copy Link

Did you mean:

Continue With: Facebook Google

By continuing, you agree to our T&C and Privacy Policy

Report copyright infringement

Print this content

You may also like:

Science and Technology

Why Asteroid Mining is the New Trillion Dollar Business

7:56

Asteroid Mining: Why it's the New Trillion Dollar Business

Get ready to learn how asteroid mining could potentially transform our world.

Science and Technology

Documentary: What is Beyond the Edge of the Universe?

2:17:01

Astronomy: What is Beyond the Edge of the Universe?

In this video, we explore what modern astronomy reveals about the universe’s boundaries—if they even exist.

Baba Recommends

10 Fascinating Maps: Where Do Most of Us Live?

10 Cool Maps That Show How Much Unpopulated Space There Is

These maps will utterly surprise you when you realize just how unevenly the world's population is spread out. Most of the world is quite free of people!

Nature

This Comet Will Not Return for Another Million Years

For the amateur photographer, the hard-core space fans, and everyone else, here are the night sky events you can't miss this august!

Science and Technology

13:11

What's Directly Above And Below The Sun?

In this video, we explore the Sun's hidden poles, daring missions like Ulysses and Solar Orbiter, and the bold ideas scientists are weighing today.

Science and Technology

A Collection of NASA's Most Amazing Photos

Enjoy This Fascinating Collection of NASA's Best Photos!

Here are 15 of NASA's most amazing recent pictures, along with brief explanations of exactly what is going on in each one.

Nature

2:29:14

Full Documentary: The Entire History of Cats

Today, we’re tracing the incredible cat family tree to see how these ultimate predators adapted, conquered every niche, and stole our hearts. Let’s dive in!

Health

The Everyday Foods That May Protect Your Heart

Flavanols are a type of plant compound that belongs to a larger group known as polyphenols. You will find them naturally in a range of fruits, vegetables, beans, tea, and cocoa.