Tornado-Like Winds on Jupiter Could Reach Speeds of Up to 900mph

Jupiter's winds can reach speeds of up to 900 miles per hour (1448 kilometers per hour). That is three times more than the fastest tornadoes on Earth.

(Photo: Lynette Cook/NASA/Getty Images)
IN SPACE - JUNE 13: This artist's conceptual drawing released June 13, 2002, depicts a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting the star, 55 Cancri, about 41 light-years from Earth. A possible moon around the planet is shown because such moons are thought to be common around this type of planet, but no moon has been detected.

The huge storm raging in Jupiter's famed Great Red Spot is well-known, but scientists have now measured winds near the gas giant's poles that make the storm appear like a breeze in comparison.

The molecules left behind by the Shoemaker-Levy 9 comet, which collided with Jupiter in 1994, were examined in a new study performed by astronomers from the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux.

Wind speeds at this altitude were predicted to be much lower. Still, the finding of such a strong force in the center of the planet's atmosphere was unexpected.

Jupiter Storms: How Fast Is The Wind?

The scientists could deduce from these molecules that the planet's winds would exceed 900 mph, with storms as large as the Earth and as high as 560 miles (900 kilometers).

The winds are found only under the bright auroras seen at the poles in the planet's stratosphere. They're named "strong jets" by astronomers because they're twice as fast as the Great Red Spot and three times as powerful as Earth's most powerful tornadoes.

Storms on Earth usually cover an area of up to three miles (4.8 kilometers) and can attain heights of up to 250 miles per hour (402kph).

Study author Dr. Thibault Cavalié said the most spectacular finding is solid jets' appearance, with speeds of up to 400 meters per second, which are situated under the aurorae near the poles.

Bilal Benmahi, the study co-author, said these jets could act as a massive tornado with a diameter of up to four times that of Earth and a height of up to 900 kilometers.

According to Benmahi, a tornado of this magnitude will be a one-of-a-kind meteorological beast in our Solar System.

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The research has been published in a paper entitled "First direct measurement of auroral and equatorial jets in the stratosphere of Jupiter."

Owing to the absence of clouds in this region of the atmosphere, obtaining precise wind readings has been problematic over the years.

Hence, scientists in Chile used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to map the speed of molecules released into the Jovian stratosphere. CNet said scientists were able to detect the strong jets in the atmosphere by observing hydrogen cyanide molecules in particular.

What Did The Scientists Conclude?

According to the astronomers, future flights to Jupiter - such as Europe's proposed JUICE flight - are expected to allow more thorough follow-up observations.

This seems to be the ultimate obstacle for interplanetary kite builders.

Last year, images from NASA and the European Space Agency's Hubble telescope revealed a large storm raging on Jupiter.

NASA described the video as showing a bright, white, stretched-out storm moving at 560 kilometers per hour (374mph).

Although storms are frequent in that region, researchers believe this one was unique in that it may have turned into a permanent feature.

Researchers believe that this may be the start of a longer-lasting northern hemisphere spot, likely to rival the iconic Great Red Spot that occupies the southern hemisphere, an ESA and NASA statement read.