Ionospheric irregularities at Jupiter observed by JWST
Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Fletcher, L. N.; Wong, M. H.; Showalter, M. R.; Lellouch, E.; Orton, G. S.; Wang, R.; Fouchet, T.; Melin, Henrik; de Pater, I.; James, M. K.; Moore, L.; Mura, A.; Stallard, T. S.; Roman, M. T.; Holler, B. J.; King, O. R. T.; Harkett, J.; O'Donoghue, J.; Thomas, E. M.; Tiranti, P. I.; Knowles, K. L.; Fry, P. H.; de Kleer, K.
United Kingdom, Japan, United States, France, Spain, Italy
Abstract
Jupiter's upper atmosphere is composed of a neutral thermosphere and charged ionosphere. In the latter, the dominant molecular ion H3+ emits in the near-infrared, allowing for the remote exploration of the physical properties of the upper atmosphere. However, the Jovian low-latitude ionosphere remains largely unexplored because H3+ emissions from this region are faint and spectrally entangled with bright neutral species, such as CH4. Here, we present James Webb Space Telescope H3+ observations of Jupiter's low-latitude ionosphere in the region of the Great Red Spot, showing unexpected small-scale intensity features such as arcs, bands and spots. Our observations may imply that the low-latitude ionosphere of Jupiter is strongly coupled to the lower atmosphere via gravity waves that superimpose to produce this complex and intricate morphology.