Why is there lightning on Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]? Lightning is a sudden rush of electrically charged particles [ http://www-spof.gsf…] from one location to another. To create lightning [ http://wwwghcc.msfc…], charges must first separate inside a cloud. On Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], drafts of colliding ice and water droplets usually create this charge separation, but what happens on Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org…]? Many astronomers theorize that Jovian lightning [ http://galileo.ivv.…] is also created in clouds containing water ice. To help investigate this, the above photograph [ http://galileo.ivv.…] was taken in October by the Galileo spacecraft [ http://galileo.ivv.…] now orbiting Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Clouds are dimly lit by sunlight reflected off Jupiter's moon Io [ http://bang.lanl.go…]. The bright flashes appear to originate in active regions at the level where water clouds would exist, and illuminate an even lower cloud level containing ammonia [ http://www.nsc.org/…]. One thing is for sure: lightning [ http://www.nofc.for…] on Jupiter is a lot brighter [ http://adsabs.harva…] than lighting on Earth.
Explanation
Why is there lightning on Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]? Lightning is a sudden rush of electrically charged particles [ http://www-spof.gsf…] from one location to another. To create lightning [ http://wwwghcc.msfc…], charges must first separate inside a cloud. On Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…], drafts of colliding ice and water droplets usually create this charge separation, but what happens on Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org…]? Many astronomers theorize that Jovian lightning [ http://galileo.ivv.…] is also created in clouds containing water ice. To help investigate this, the above photograph [ http://galileo.ivv.…] was taken in October by the Galileo spacecraft [ http://galileo.ivv.…] now orbiting Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Clouds are dimly lit by sunlight reflected off Jupiter's moon Io [ http://bang.lanl.go…]. The bright flashes appear to originate in active regions at the level where water clouds would exist, and illuminate an even lower cloud level containing ammonia [ http://www.nsc.org/…]. One thing is for sure: lightning [ http://www.nofc.for…] on Jupiter is a lot brighter [ http://adsabs.harva…] than lighting on Earth.
