Arranged in strange shapes, giant tornadoes on Jupiter leave scientists stunned

Scientists believe this could be a sign that there are physical elements on Jupiter that humans do not know about .

At Jupiter's poles , giant vortices exist, forming neat shapes that stay in place for years before dissipating. To this day, scientists have yet to explain this fascinating phenomenon, and many researchers are optimistic that we are looking at completely new concepts and physical formulas.

We know about these vortices thanks to NASA's Juno mission, launched in 2016. In Jupiter's northern hemisphere, a vortex sits near the center of the pole, surrounded by eight other vortices that form a strange octagon. In the southern hemisphere, another cluster of vortices also forms a pentagon.

Octagon in Jupiter's northern hemisphere formed by vortices. (Photo: NASA).

Pentagram in the southern hemisphere of Jupiter.

To explain the 'extraterrestrial' phenomenon , a team of scientists led by Professor Andrew Ingersoll began studying data sent back by the Juno probe. The research results showed that tornadoes the size of the United States were created by a wind ring opposite the direction of the tornado, creating ' the stability of the polygonal [tornado] pattern ' . However, the research report published in the journal Nature continues to point out difficult questions.

' Since 2017, Juno has observed a vortex at  Jupiter's north pole  surrounded by eight other vortices arranged in an octagonal shape. It is unclear why this structure is so stable, much less how it has been maintained for so long ,' the researchers wrote in the report.

Professor Andrew Ingersoll. (Photo: Caltech).

' The polygonal structure and the individual cyclones that make up this structure have been rotating steadily for the four years since Juno discovered them ,' the team of scientists wrote. ' The polygonal structure rotates very slowly, or almost not at all… In contrast,  Jupiter  possesses [two cyclones] at each pole .'

To find out how the polygonal structures form and stabilize, Professor Ingersoll and his colleagues measured Jupiter's winds and storm-forming elements with instruments on board the Juno spacecraft. They found distinctive wind currents that appear to form a " scaffold " that holds the vortices in place . However, the team did not find convection in the Jupiter winds, which contradicts previously published studies of Jupiter vortices.

The team concluded that further research would be needed to explain the discrepancy in the scientific reports. Mr Ingersoll also asserted that the team's research ' focusing on the vorticity and stability [of Jupiter's cyclones  ], shows that this is the right direction of research '.

NASA's Juno probe. (Photo: NASA).

These beautifully arranged storms are just one of the many fascinating phenomena that occur on Jupiter. And as the largest planet in the Solar System, it makes an ideal study model; we can infer strange phenomena on other planets from Jupiter.

In a statement released by NASA in 2019, Juno researcher Li Cheng, a co-author of the new study, said: ' These tornadoes are unusual weather phenomena that have never been seen or predicted before. Nature is introducing new physics to how [matter] moves and how climates work on large planets. We are just beginning to understand them through observations and simulations. Future Juno missions will help refine our understanding of how tornadoes form over time .'