The study of space weather and weather on other planets provides scientists with information that provides a greater knowledg

The planet Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and is also the largest planet. There are three distinct layers of clouds, made of ammonia, ice, ammonium hydrosulfide, and a mixture of ice and water. The atmosphere consists of 90% hydrogen, 10% helium, and traces of methane, water, and ammonia (Arnett). It is very turbulent, which creates high velocity winds. These winds are confined in wide bands of latitude, with the direction of the wind alternating with adjacent bands. There are vivid colors seen in Jupiter’s clouds are believed to be caused by a chemical reaction in the atmospheric gases (Arnett). Jupiter has the largest storms in the solar system, and the biggest one is called the Great Red Spot. It is a high-pressure region south of the planet’s equator with the cloud tops colder than the surface regions. It is considered to be a major cyclone whose range would cover the surface of 2 Earth’s combined, and covers about 1/6 of the Jupiter’s surface. On the outer rim however, wind speed is estimated to be about 270 mph (“Windows to the Universe”). The Great Red Spot stretches across more than 15,400 miles. The storm rotates direction every 6 days, shifting eastward (“Planet Storm”). There are smaller storms, called ovals, appear along the edges of the Great Red Spot, and last for months or years. The Great Red Spot is believed to be at least 300 years old (Arnett). There is nothing on Jupiter to slow these storms down, for there is no solid surface. They produce massive lightening bolts that are 100 times more powerful than ones on Earth. Torrential rain is also produced. There is a broad range of temperatures on Jupiter, ranging from 30,000*C at the core to about –120*C at the top of the cloud layers (“The Planets”).

The storms on Mars are not hurricanes or thunderstorms. Dust storms occur on Mars. Since there is only a small amount of water vapor in the air, dust is the driving force behind storm activity as it heats the atmosphere by absorbing sunlight. Like Earth hot air that rises at the planet’s equator is replaced with cooler air. Trade winds result from the cooler air to circulate the dust. Dust storms cause a temperature change on the opposite side of the planet. This can cause the temperature to drop about 50*F and affect the planet’s heat balance, seasons, and occurrence of water vapor clouds (“Exploring the Planets”). They decrease the daytime temperature and increase the nighttime temperature. In the springtime these storms can cover the whole planet for up to several months (Tillman). Dust storms also can turn the color of clouds into yellow or red. The creation of a dust storm is quite simple. Winds above the surface have to reach a threshold of 100 mph in order to pick up the dust grains on the ground (Mars Fact Sheet). The high surface winds must be present in order for these storms to continue. The storm will cease when winds drop significantly and dust falls back to the ground. Another type of storm on Mars is called a dust devil. These are swirling circles of dust that are like mini tornadoes with a calm center similar to the eye of a hurricane (“Planet Storm”). Dust devils move across the land and pick up dust. They form during the day when the ground surface heats up and warms the air above the surface. The dust starts to spin in motion as the warm air rises. Dust devils strip the ground of its colored coating and expose the darker region underneath.

Mars is a cold planet with a range of temperatures. A warm temperature on Mars would be considered chilly by Earth standards. The average temperature on Mars is -67*F, and ranges from -270*F at the winter pole to 80*F during the summer on the dayside of the planet (Arnett). The temperatures are coldest the closest to the ground surface because during the night the ground rapidly cools the ground. Martian temperatures vary with each day except during the winter season. These variations are mainly due to the low- p

Some topics in this essay:
Home Page, Sun Mercury, Frequently Questions…Answered”, Earth’s Moon, Northern Hemisphere, Mars Sheet, Arnett Uranus, Earth Mars, Saturn Saturn, Planets Mercury, “the planets”, carbon dioxide, ice caps, polar ice caps, polar ice, solar system, planet sun, water ice, surface features, earth mars, liquid water, “weather climate life, climate life mars, life mars frequently, seasons earth mars,