Water spotted at Jupiter's Great Red Spot: NASA
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Making waves
Looking at the depths of the Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a storm that has been raging on the planet for over 350 years, NASA scientists have found water above the planet's deepest clouds.
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Location of the water cloud
The location of the water cloud, plus the amount of carbon monoxide that the researchers identified on Jupiter, confirms that Jupiter is rich in oxygen and, thus, water, Bjoraker explained.
"Jupiter's water abundance will tell us a lot about how the giant planet formed, but only if we can figure out how much water there is in the entire planet," said Steven M. Levin, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
"Jupiter's water abundance will tell us a lot about how the giant planet formed, but only if we can figure out how much water there is in the entire planet," said Steven M. Levin, from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
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Solving the water problem
If Juno (in pic) returns similar water findings, thereby backing Bjoraker's ground-based technique, it could open a new window into solving the water problem, said Goddard's Amy Simon, a planetary atmospheres expert.
"If it works, then maybe we can apply it elsewhere, like Saturn, Uranus or Neptune, where we don't have a Juno," she said.
"If it works, then maybe we can apply it elsewhere, like Saturn, Uranus or Neptune, where we don't have a Juno," she said.