by MarkBour » Tue Jun 05, 2018 3:09 pm
Ann wrote: ↑Tue Jun 05, 2018 6:51 am
Jupiter really does seem to change color at its poles, from white and reddish at its equator and temperate latitudes, to greenish and bluish at its poles.
Any ideas why that is so?
Great question, Ann. I think it is an area of research, rather than something that has been answered yet. Wikipedia's Jupiter article (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter) has this point, when discussing Oval BA:
Why Oval BA turned red is not understood. According to a 2008 study by Dr. Santiago Pérez-Hoyos of the University of the Basque Country, the most likely mechanism is "an upward and inward diffusion of either a colored compound or a coating vapor that may interact later with high energy solar photons at the upper levels of Oval BA."[102] Some believe that small storms (and their corresponding white spots) on Jupiter turn red when the winds become powerful enough to draw certain gases from deeper within the atmosphere which change color when those gases are exposed to sunlight.[71][72][73]
[71] "Jupiter's New Red Spot". 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2006.
[72] Steigerwald, Bill (October 14, 2006). "Jupiter's Little Red Spot Growing Stronger". NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
[73] Goudarzi, Sara (May 4, 2006). "New storm on Jupiter hints at climate changes". USA Today. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
(Reference 73 no longer works.)
[quote=Ann post_id=283051 time=1528181492 user_id=129702]
Jupiter really does seem to change color at its poles, from white and reddish at its equator and temperate latitudes, to greenish and bluish at its poles.
Any ideas why that is so?
[/quote]
Great question, Ann. I think it is an area of research, rather than something that has been answered yet. Wikipedia's Jupiter article ([url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter[/url]) has this point, when discussing Oval BA:
[quote]Why Oval BA turned red is not understood. According to a 2008 study by Dr. Santiago Pérez-Hoyos of the University of the Basque Country, the most likely mechanism is "an upward and inward diffusion of either a colored compound or a coating vapor that may interact later with high energy solar photons at the upper levels of Oval BA."[102] Some believe that small storms (and their corresponding white spots) on Jupiter turn red when the winds become powerful enough to draw certain gases from deeper within the atmosphere which change color when those gases are exposed to sunlight.[71][72][73]
[/quote]
[71] "Jupiter's New Red Spot". 2006. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2006.
[72] Steigerwald, Bill (October 14, 2006). "Jupiter's Little Red Spot Growing Stronger". NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
[73] Goudarzi, Sara (May 4, 2006). "New storm on Jupiter hints at climate changes". USA Today. Retrieved February 2, 2007.
(Reference 73 no longer works.)