The thermal structure and composition of Jupiter's Great Red Spot from JWST/MIRI

Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets American Geophysical Union 129:10 (2024) e2024JE008415

Authors:

Jake Harkett, Leigh N Fletcher, Oliver RT King, Michael T Roman, Henrik Melin, Heidi B Hammel, Ricardo Hueso, Agustín Sánchez�Lavega, Michael H Wong, Stefanie N Milam, Glenn S Orton, Katherine de Kleer, Patrick Irwin, Imke de Pater, Thierry Fouchet, Pablo Rodríguez�Ovalle, Patrick M Fry, Mark R Showalter

Abstract:

Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) was mapped by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)/Mid-Infrared Instrument (4.9–27.9 μm) in July and August 2022. These observations took place alongside a suite of visual and infrared observations from; Hubble, JWST/NIRCam, Very Large Telescope/VISIR and amateur observers which provided both spatial and temporal context across the jovian disc. The stratospheric temperature structure retrieved using the NEMESIS software revealed a series of hot-spots above the GRS. These could be the consequence of GRS-induced wave activity. In the troposphere, the temperature structure was used to derive the thermal wind structure of the GRS vortex. These winds were only consistent with the independently determined wind field by JWST/NIRCam at 240 mbar if the altitude of the Hubble-derived winds were located around 1,200 mbar, considerably deeper than previously assumed. No enhancement in ammonia was found within the GRS but a link between elevated aerosol and phosphine abundances was observed within this region. North-south asymmetries were observed in the retrieved temperature, ammonia, phosphine and aerosol structure, consistent with the GRS tilting in the north-south direction. Finally, a small storm was captured north-west of the GRS that displayed a considerable excess in retrieved phosphine abundance, suggestive of vigorous convection. Despite this, no ammonia ice was detected in this region. The novelty of JWST required us to develop custom-made software to resolve challenges in calibration of the data. This involved the derivation of the “FLT-5� wavelength calibration solution that has subsequently been integrated into the standard calibration pipeline.

3D Modeling of Moist Convective Inhibition in Hydrogen-Dominated Atmospheres

(2024)

Authors:

Namrah Habib, Raymond T Pierrehumbert

3D Modeling of Moist Convective Inhibition in Idealized Sub-Neptune Atmospheres

ArXiv 2409.18217 (2024)

Authors:

Namrah Habib, Raymond T Pierrehumbert

JWST/NIRISS and HST: Exploring the improved ability to characterise exoplanet atmospheres in the JWST era

(2024)

Authors:

Chloe Fisher, Jake Taylor, Vivien Parmentier, Daniel Kitzmann, Jayne L Birkby, Michael Radica, Joanna Barstow, Jingxuan Yang, Giuseppe Morello

Evidence for morning-to-evening limb asymmetry on the cool low-density exoplanet WASP-107 b

Nature Astronomy Springer Science and Business Media LLC 8:12 (2024) 1562-1574

Authors:

Matthew M Murphy, Thomas G Beatty, Everett Schlawin, Taylor J Bell, Michael R Line, Thomas P Greene, Vivien Parmentier, Emily Rauscher, Luis Welbanks, Jonathan J Fortney, Marcia Rieke