
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Likely a Massive Heat Source - okket
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jupiter-s-great-red-spot-likely-a-massive-heat-source
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pavel_lishin
> _The study, in the July 27 issue of the journal Nature, concludes that the
> storm in the Great Red Spot produces two kinds of turbulent energy waves
> that collide and heat the upper atmosphere. Gravity waves are much like how
> a guitar string moves when plucked, while acoustic waves are compressions of
> the air (sound waves). Heating in the upper atmosphere 500 miles (800
> kilometers) above the Great Red Spot is thought to be caused by a
> combination of these two wave types “crashing,” like ocean waves on a
> beach._

I'm surprised that gravity waves from something that small can have an affect
on the atmosphere.

(Yes, I know that Jupiter is big, and so is the Spot, but gravity is
incredibly weak.)

EDIT: apparently there is a very big difference between "gravity waves" and
"gravitational waves"; I withdraw my comment, but leave it for posterity so
that others can be enlightened!

~~~
Florin_Andrei
Gravity waves are the waves forming on top of atmospheric layers, like ripples
in a pond.

Gravitational waves are the spacetime waves generated by black hole mergers
and the like.

Very different phenomena.

~~~
disconcision
Google search seems complicit in this misconception. A search for gravity
waves (without quotes) yields only results for gravitational waves. Searching
"gravity waves" is only slightly better, yielding the actual meaning as the
second definition (and result).

~~~
yongjik
[http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-
blogs/2016/atmospheric-...](http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-
blogs/2016/atmospheric-waves-awareness.html)

> It’s important to clarify that atmospheric or oceanic gravity waves are not
> to be confused with gravitational waves, the outward propagating
> perturbations in spacetime that are associated with cool physics graphics
> and, apparently, any and all Google searches on either subject.

:)

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okket
Publication in Nature (doi:10.1038/nature18940)

[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/natu...](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature18940.html)

Article in Scientific American

[http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jupiter-s-great-
re...](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jupiter-s-great-red-spot-may-
broil-planet-s-atmosphere/)

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sandworm101
Question re "Massive Heat Source": Is this a case of a very hot, but very thin
gas?

For me, a "massive heat source" is something that is pumping out lots of heat
energy, not necessarily something that is hot. But the OP speaks of sonic
waves heating upper-atmosphere gas ... very thin gas. It doesn't take much
energy to heat a very thin gas.

We are into that weird place where a gas can be thousands of degrees hot, but
if you were standing in it your flesh would still freeze (after you die of
something else).

~~~
akiselev
Yes, according to [1] Jupiter's thermosphere has a pressure between 10^-1 and
roughly 10^-4 Pascal so we're talking about a very low density. The
thermosphere layer is huge though so we're still talking about a tremendous
amount of energy.

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere_of_Jupiter)

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bovermyer
The question that immediately jumped into my head after reading this article:
what does the Great Red Spot sound like?

~~~
Declanomous
I'm guessing here, but if it's anything like every other "reconstructed noise
from space" I've heard, it's probably a dull roar. Similarly, it's probably
loud enough to cause immediate and permanent hearing loss as well.

Now I really want to know too.

~~~
golergka
> Similarly, it's probably loud enough to cause immediate and permanent
> hearing loss as well.

As immediate result of death due to body crushing down.

