James Webb Telescope Uncovers Strange Shapes Above Jupiter's Great Red Spot

According to NASA, the Great Red Spot is the largest storm in the solar system, twice as big as Earth, and is believed to have been raging for at least 300 years.

A team of astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have found previously unseen structures and activity in Jupiter's upper atmosphere. The region observed in the study using the Webb Telescope is located right above the Great Red Spot. According to NASA, the Great Red Spot is the largest storm in the solar system, twice as big as Earth, and is believed to have been raging for at least 300 years. 🆕 Scientists have found intricate features above Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot! Read more: https://t.co/wHAiYBap2l or 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/71J9ToJGIH

The upper atmosphere of Jupiter is the interface between the planet's magnetic field and the underlying atmosphere. It's within Jupiter's upper atmosphere that its aurorae can be seen. The structures of the upper atmosphere towards the planet's equator, however, are influenced by sunlight, and thus harder to observe.

In July 2022, the Great Red Spot of Jupiter was observed by Webb's Near-InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) using the instrument's Integral Field Unit capabilities. The team was surprised to discover that the upper atmosphere hosts a variety of intricate structures, including dark arcs and bright spots, across the entire field of view.