A study of rare megastorms on Saturn using data from the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array has revealed disruptions in the distribution of ammonia gas in the planet’s deep atmosphere. The findings raise questions about just how different gas giants can be from each other, and challenge scientists’ understanding of how megastorms may form on planets other than Earth. The results of the study appear in Science Advances (Long lasting, deep effect of Saturn’s giant storms,” Li, C. et al, 2023. Science Advances, doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adg9419). Read more.
Image: © S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF), I. de Pater et al (Berkeley); This composite overlays VLA data on a Cassini image of Saturn to provide a comprehensive view of ammonia on the move in the gas giant’s atmosphere.