By Clay Dillow Posted 05.12.2010 at 2:30 pm 15 Comments

Jupiter, Before and After Anthony Wesley

The science world is upside down this afternoon. First North Korea announces it has cracked the nut on nuclear fusion. Now Jupiter has lost one of its belts, specifically the Southern Equatorial Belt (SEB) which figures prominently in Jupiter’s overall appearance.

Astronomers aren't exactly sure why this happens, but the flightiness of the SEB is actually not unprecedented. Jupiter’s bands are actually clouds, with the SEB being primarily made up of ammonia ice, sulfur, and phosphorous hovering above the planet’s toxic, gaseous surface. The belt took leaves of absence in both the early 1990s and in 1973, so its disappearance now, if anything, is a bit overdue (it seems to be on a roughly 15-year cycle).

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Tags

Science, Clay Dillow, astornomy, jupiter, Jupiter's belts, orbit, planets, south equatorial belt
But due to the orbital dynamics of Earth and Jupiter, this particular disrobing was far more abrupt. Jupiter has been hanging out on the other side of the sun since late 2009, obscured from our view for the last few months. The belt disappeared while Jupiter was hiding, making for quite a drastic change in appearance when it recently re-emerged.

If this occurrence follows the precedent of the others, the planet should maintain its appearance for another few weeks – possibly even months – at which point a bright white spot will appear and begin seeding the former belt with dark blobs, eventually restoring the SEB to its former dark color. And if that doesn’t happen? Well, that’s not really a problem. Jupiter has looked more or less the same as long as we’ve known her, so if she wants to shake things up a bit, that’s her prerogative.

For kicks, we’ve include the original footage from the Voyager flyby below, where you can get a good look at just how lively Jupiter’s atmosphere can be.


[Astro Bob via TGDaily, Slashdot]

15 Comments

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blackspike2710
05/12/10 at 3:07 pm

Is the The Great Spot still there?

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scifiguy
05/12/10 at 3:34 pm

@blackspike2710 Thats what I thought at first but the Great Red Spot has been around for some 300 years. I think there would be a bit more hubbub if it had vanished. My guess is the photo just shows the other side of juipiter.

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ste3v3
05/12/10 at 4:05 pm

global warming

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CoolHand032
05/12/10 at 4:31 pm

Oh my gosh! That video shows that the right side of Jupiter disappears and reappears too!

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ScottieD
05/12/10 at 5:03 pm

@ste3v3 i lol'd

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HazMatt
05/12/10 at 6:41 pm

You GO, Jupiter, with your new 'do! Shake things up!

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TheInspiredOne

from Acton, Maine

05/12/10 at 9:14 pm

@ste3v3 That made my day. :)

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QIII
05/13/10 at 12:35 am

So what?

Give a planet a break.

Gains a little weight, takes off a belt and unbuttons its pants.

Couple laps around the Sun will take it back off.

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Blinding Light64

from cairo, N.Y.

05/13/10 at 6:55 am

Okay you are a weird bunch no common sense of science. You are funny little specimens you are.

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SpeedyGonB
05/13/10 at 8:58 am

@ste3v3 nice man, total pwn with that one. Made my day.

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rlb2
05/13/10 at 1:35 pm

It is very intriguing but may be due to some unknown phenomena such as the angle of site from earth may show a higher reflectivity of light as it is more tilted upwards from our vantage point, if only Galileo was still alive today then we would have a second view point.

Another reason may be that the Jovian very strong magnetic field may have temporally changed positions causing disturbances in the upper atmosphere around the lower belted area.

Ha, yet another idea is that it is finally going to go solar on us as predicted in the "2010 Space Odyssey," after all it is now 2010...

Ron Bennett

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tim416
05/13/10 at 11:06 pm

First we have climate change on earth and now Jupiter? This provides me with the scientific evidence I need prove that climate change is in fact caused by sun spots or gravity waves or something. :)

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PinkNBlack21
05/14/10 at 12:42 am

@ste3v3 -- beat me to it rofl

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Andi
05/16/10 at 1:54 pm

Comme on ! It's so obvious !!! Jupiter had sex behind the Sun and dressed up in a hurry !

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Blinding Light64

from cairo, N.Y.

05/17/10 at 6:50 am

Man you people are just downright weird


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