Extraterrestrial storms
Extraterrestrial storms
The Great Red Spot on Jupiter
Storms do not only occur on Earth; other planetary bodies with a sufficient atmosphere (gas giants in particular) also undergo stormy weather. The Great Red Spot on Jupiter provides a well-known example.[11] Though technically an anticyclone, with greater than hurricane wind speeds, it is larger than the Earth and has persisted for at least 340 years, having first been observed by astronomer Galileo Galilei. Neptune also had its own lesser-known Great Dark Spot.
In September 1994, the Hubble telescope – using Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 – imaged storms on Saturn generated by upwelling of warmer air, similar to a terrestrial thunderhead. The east-west extent of the same-year[clarification needed] storm equalled the diameter of Earth. The storm was observed earlier in September 1990 and acquired the name Dragon Storm.
The dust storms of Mars vary in size, but can often cover the entire planet. They tend to occur when Mars comes closest to the Sun, and have been shown to increase the global temperature.[12]
One particularly large Martian storm was exhaustively studied up close due to coincidental timing. When the first spacecraft to successfully orbit another planet, Mariner 9, arrived and successfully orbited Mars on 14 November 1971, planetary scientists were surprised to find the atmosphere was thick with a planet-wide robe of dust, the largest storm ever observed on Mars. The surface of the planet was totally obscured. Mariner 9’s computer was reprogrammed from Earth to delay imaging of the surface for a couple of months until the dust settled, however, the surface-obscured images contributed much to the collection of Mars atmospheric and planetary surface science.[13]
Two extrasolar planets are known to have storms: HD 209458 b[14] and HD 80606 b. The former’s storm was discovered on June 23, 2010 and measured at 6,200 km/h, while the latter produces winds of 17,700 kilometers (11,000 mi) per hour across the surface. The spin of the planet then creates giant swirling shock-wave storms that carry the heat aloft.[15]
Effects on human society
