Atmosphere of Jupiter

The gaseous envelope surrounding Jupiter, composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Its visible clouds form bands and storms shaped by rapid rotation, strong winds, and deep atmospheric circulation.

Jupiter's zonal winds: Alternating eastward and westward winds that circle Jupiter parallel to its equator. These winds organize the atmosphere into its conspicuous cloud bands.
Oval BA: A large anticyclonic storm in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, formed by merging smaller ovals. Its changing color and structure offer a second major case of persistent Jovian storms.
Pioneer 10: NASA’s 1972 spacecraft that made the first close flyby of Jupiter in December 1973. Its encounter supplied early close-up measurements and images of Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Hydrogen: The lightest chemical element and the most abundant element in the observable universe. Molecular hydrogen makes up most of Jupiter’s atmosphere by number of molecules.
Saturn's atmosphere: The gaseous envelope of Saturn, dominated by hydrogen and helium and shaped by bands, jets, and storms. Saturn shares Jupiter’s broad composition but has different cloud patterns and storm behavior.
Great Red Spot: A persistent anticyclonic storm in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, larger than Earth. This long-lived vortex shows how Jupiter’s atmosphere sustains enormous storms.
Jupiter's polar cyclones: Clusters of large cyclones arranged around central cyclones at Jupiter’s north and south poles. Their stable polygonal arrangements contrast with the shifting equatorial cloud belts.
Voyager 1: NASA’s 1977 spacecraft that flew past Jupiter in March 1979 and photographed its atmosphere in detail. Its images revealed intricate cloud structure and atmospheric motion.
Helium: A chemically inert element that is the second most abundant constituent of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Its abundance helps constrain Jupiter’s atmospheric composition and interior evolution.
Uranus's atmosphere: The atmosphere of Uranus, composed mainly of hydrogen, helium, and methane above a deep volatile-rich interior. Its colder, methane-rich atmosphere contrasts with Jupiter’s brighter ammonia-clouded bands.

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