Global Warming

Global Warming: Jupiter Has Been Hit By the Bug

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 [...]

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 bareThe 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 latest images could provide evidence that Jupiter is in the midst of a global change that can modify temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit on different parts of the globe.

Scientists are trying to figure out why? Perhaps this is from global warming. The people of Jupiter, like those on Mars, have been using fossil fuels and driving their SUVs all over the place just gumming up the works and making stripes disappear.

Temperature is relatively uniform on Jupiter – the temperature at the poles is nearly the same as at the equator. This is due to the chaotic mixing of heat and airflow from vortices (eg – the White Ovals). The oscillatory motions of the White Ovals ceased after they merged, dampening the movement of heat from Jupiter’s equator to its south pole. The latitudes near 34°S, the same latitude where Red Spot Junior is located, are predicted to become barriers preventing the mixing of heat and airflow. If so, Jupiter’s equatorial regions will become warmer and its poles will become cooler.

In other words, what is predicted is not global warming on Jupiter but a change in the distribution of heat with the equator getting hotter and the poles cooling. It’s also worth mentioning this climate change is yet to be observed – it’s a prediction based on the modelling of the disappearing stripes.

Of course, since neither of these planets are inhabited it would be foolish to blame any kind of climate change on the problems they face with warming (Mars) or bands disappearing (Jupiter) because that would indicate that warming or climate change on a planet is not man-made.

Though one cannot rule out that global warming is to blame. If we hurry, we might be able to get Gore, Pelosi, Frank, Kerry, Lieberman, Obama and a host of other warmers on a ship and send them to fix the problem.