Juno -- Coolest space ship in the solar system?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the Juno spacecraft's mission to Jupiter, particularly focusing on the scientific insights expected from its observations of the planet's storms, including the Great Red Spot. Participants explore theories regarding the composition of Jupiter and the origins of its atmospheric phenomena, with a mix of personal theories and scientific reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses excitement about Juno's potential to reveal what lies beneath Jupiter's clouds and anticipates significant scientific discoveries.
  • Another participant presents a theory that Jupiter consists of stratified chemical layers, with metallic hydrogen at the core, suggesting that the storms are the result of impacts, including a claim that the Great Red Spot was once Planet 9.
  • A third participant challenges the theory by proposing that gas transfer from convection is more likely the cause of Jupiter's storms, questioning the feasibility of erosion from impacts and the implications of a passing planet.
  • This participant also notes that impacts from objects like Shoemaker-Levy would likely not survive to erode the core due to destruction at high altitudes and suggests that similar storm patterns on other gas giants indicate a common cause rather than isolated impacts.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the origins of Jupiter's storms, with some supporting the idea of impacts while others argue for convection as a more plausible explanation. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing theories presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference the Shoemaker-Levy impacts and their effects, but there is no consensus on the mechanisms behind Jupiter's storm patterns or the validity of the proposed theories.

Ralph Rotten
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TL;DR
Just a thread to blab about Juno probe because I am a total Juno nerd (and was previously a Cassini geek.) Juno is so cool.
So Juno is on her downhill run towards Jupiter. Only doing about 8k right now, but by the time she rounds Jupiter she'll be doing 100k or more.
We are going to get so much science from Juno.
Personally I am eagerly awaiting the results of what Jupiter looks like under all those clouds.

D6-IuoiV4AA_Tb8?format=jpg&name=medium.jpg
 
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Y'see, I am interested in what Juno finds because for many years I have had a theory about the Big Red Storm (and the other storms as well).

My theory is this: Jupiter is composed of stratified layers of chemicals, heaviest on the bottom.
The hydrogen at the core has been compressed to the point that it is metallic hydrogen.
Essentially, the core of Jupiter is so damned dense that rock floats.
The storms are impacts, and the red spot used to be Planet 9. The storm is Jupiter's winds slowly eroding the thing that smacked into it.

This is just my theory. My only real evidence would be pointing out that there is a line of storms down where Shoemaker-Levy hit. Remember how it broke into pieces and hit it like a machine gun?
Lookit the line of storms under the big storm.
JupiterIR_HubbleSchmidt_960.jpg
 
Ralph Rotten said:
Y'see, I am interested in what Juno finds because for many years I have had a theory about the Big Red Storm (and the other storms as well).

My theory is this: Jupiter is composed of stratified layers of chemicals, heaviest on the bottom.
The hydrogen at the core has been compressed to the point that it is metallic hydrogen.
Essentially, the core of Jupiter is so damned dense that rock floats.
The storms are impacts, and the red spot used to be Planet 9. The storm is Jupiter's winds slowly eroding the thing that smacked into it.

This is just my theory. My only real evidence would be pointing out that there is a line of storms down where Shoemaker-Levy hit. Remember how it broke into pieces and hit it like a machine gun?
Lookit the line of storms under the big storm.
View attachment 243931
You are treading on very dangerous ground
Please read the rules about personal theories

and as I stated in your other thread, please provide links to where these images came from
 
Ralph Rotten said:
Y'see, I am interested in what Juno finds because for many years I have had a theory about the Big Red Storm (and the other storms as well).

Seems more likely that gas transfer from convection is the power behind Jupiter's storms, though to be fair, it is still an open question. But it is hard to figure a mechanism of erosion that triggers such long-lasting disruption from an object slamming in at speed, esp. when you are suggesting that the Great Red Spot was caused by 'Planet 9'. The passing of a planet through the outer solar system should be evident, even if it occurred thousands of years ago.

For Shoemaker-Levy sized objects, the impact analysis suggests they will be destroyed in an 'airburst' at high altitudes (the largest Shoemaker-Levy fragments were destroyed around 250 kPa) so they are not in any state to be eroded by floating on the core because if they even reach the core, they're going to be pretty small.

Also, we see similar storm patterns on other gas giants, so I'd expect them to have a common cause, so impact triggers could likely be tracked back to objects in orbit to cross check your proposition.

Perhaps an impact can cause an eddy just through heat transfer (Shoemaker-Levy's fragment A reached a peak temperature of about 24,000 K when it hit) but erosion seems a step too far when you are talking about a gas giant with a diameter of 86,000 kms.
 

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