May 25, 2010: Jupiter's missing stripe

>> Rooney: THE PLANET
JUPITER SEEMS TO HAVE
MISPLACED SOMETHING, ONE
OF ITS DEFINING DARK
BANDS.
JUPITER HAS TWO OF THESE
WITH THE EARTH-SIZED
STRIPES.
ONE IN THE NORTHERN HEMS
PHY, AND ONE IN THE
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.
THEY RAISED THE REG FLAG
ABOUT THE QUICKLY FADING
BAND.
WHEN IT REAPPEARED IN THE
SUMMER, THE SOUTHERN BAND
WAS NOWHERE IN SIGHT.
IT HAS DISAPPEARED 19
TIMES SINCE THE TURN OF
THE CENTURY.
WHAT IS BEHIND THE
VANISHING ACT.
JOINING ME NOW IS KELLY
BEATTIE.
WE SHOULD MAKE THIS CLEAR
BECAUSE JUPITER HAS THE
RINGS AROUND IT, LIKE
THIS, LIKE SATURN, BUT
THIS IS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT.
THIS IS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT.
>> WHEN WE LOOK AT
JUPITER, WE DON'T SEE A
SOLID SURFACE.
WE SEE A CLOUD DECK OF THE
WHOLE PLANET.
THESE ARE COLORATIONS,
BANDS, IN THAT CLOUD DECK.
IT IS INDICATIVE OF
DIFFERENT CHEMISTRY GOING
ON IN THE PLANET.
THOSE RACING STRIPES, AS I
CALL THEM, ON EITHER SIDE,
HAVE BEEN VERY EASY TO
SEE.
>> Rooney: YEAH.
THERE THEY ARE.
>> AND WHEN ONE
DISAPPEARS, IT'S OBVIOUS.
>> Rooney: WHERE DID IT
GO?
>> NO ONE REALLY KNOWS,
AND ME LEAST OF ALL --
>> Rooney: HOW FAR AWAY
IS IT TO THE SUN?
>> ABOUT A HALF BILLION
MILES OR LESS.
I THINK IT IS LIKE A
CIRRUS CLOUD THAT HAS
FORMED OVER IT AND MASKED
IT.
I THINK IT IS STILL THERE,
BUT IT HAS BEEN COVERED
OVER BY HIGH, THIN CLOUDS.
WE DON'T KNOW WHY THOSE
HAVE FORMED.
IT HAPPENS EVERY 10, 15,
20 YEARS.
IT WILL COME BACK.
IT HAS ALWAYS COME BACK.
AND SO WE'RE JUST -- RIGHT
NOW, THOUGH, IT IS A GREAT
TIME BECAUSE WE HAVE ALL
OF THESE GREAT TELESCOPES.
>> Rooney: SO YOU CAN'T
SEE THROUGH THE CLOUD
COVER TO SEE WHAT IS
BEYOND THAT?
>> RIGHT.
SO IMAGINE YOU'RE FLYING
IN THE AIRPLANE AND YOU
LOOK DOWN, AND THERE IS A
DECK OF OVERCAST OVER THE
GROUND, YOU CAN'T SEE
THROUGH IT TO SEE WHAT IS
BELOW.
WHEN THE CLOUD BREAKS, YOU
CAN SEE THE CLOUD.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IS
HAPPENING ON JUPITER.
>> Rooney: YOU THINK
BACK OVER THE CENTURIES,
SCIENTISTS HAVE BEEN AWARE
OF THIS FOR OVER 100
YEARS.
YOU WOULD THINK BY NOW
THEY WOULD HAVE -- BECAUSE
IT IS SO CYCLICAL, THAT IS
HAS SOMETHING TO DO
WITH -- LIKE THE 17-YEAR
LOCCUSS.
>> PART OF IT IS THAT WE
HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO STUDY
JUPITER IN ENOUGH DETAIL.
EVEN THOUGH IT IS AS BIG
AG THE EARTH, THERE ARE
THE SMALL CLUES THAT GIVE
US WHAT IS TRIGGERING IT
AND HOW IT WILL COME BACK.
EVEN THE AMATEUR
ASTRONOMERS, WHO SOUNDED
THE ALARM, THEY HAVE
TELESCOPES AND CAMERAS
THAT CAN RECORD PRETTY
SMALL DETAILS.
SO I'M PRETTY HOPEFUL WHEN
THIS STARTS TO BREAK UP,
WE'LL FINALLY HAVE THE
ANSWER AS TO WHY IT COMES
AND GOES.
>> Rooney: IF JUPITER IS
A GASEOUS MASS, WHY HAVE
THE STRIPES STAYED?
YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD
BE MOVING AND CHANGING.
>> THAT'S A VERY GOOD
QUESTION.
WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE
WEATHER.
IT IS LIKE ON THE EARTH,
WE HAVE THE JET STREAM,
AND IN THE TROPICS THERE
IS A BAND CALLED THE
INTERTROPICAL CONVERGENCE,
WHERE IT IS ALWAYS CLOUDY.
IT IS KIND OF LIKE THAT ON
JUPITER, WHATEVER THE
WEATHER --
>> Rooney: THEY ACTUALLY
HAVE A WEATHER?
>> THEY HAVE A WEATHER,
RIGHT.
>> Rooney: THEY DO?
>> WE UNDERSTAND JUPITER A
LOT BETTER THAN WE USED
TO, BUT WE DON'T CLAIM TO
UNDERSTAND IT ALL.
>> Rooney: IS IT VERY
HOT?
>> AS THIS LEVEL, THESE
CLOUDS ARE VERY COLD.
SO THE WHITE CLOUDS ARE
PROBABLY CYRSTALS OF
AMMONIA.
THAT'S WHAT WE THINK IS
COVERING OVER THE BANDS
RIGHT NOW.
>> Rooney: BUT THE
GASSES THEMSELVES --
>> THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE
HOTTER IT WILL GET.
IN FACT, THAT BROWN BAND
THAT IS NORMALLY THERE
PROBABLY IS COLORATION OF
CLOUDS THAT WE'RE SEEING
DEEPER DOWN INTO THE
PLANET'S ATMOSPHERE.
BUT THERE IS A LOT WE
DON'T KNOW ABOUT JUPITER.
>> Rooney: WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENCES IN THE MAKEUPS
OF SOME OF THE OTHER
PLANETS?
>> YOU SHOULD COME TAKE MY
ASTRONOMY CLASSES.
>> Rooney: I SHOULD.
>> JUPITER AND SATURN HAVE
ENDED UP WITH HYDROGEN AND
HELIUM.
AND A LOT OF ICE.
HERE ON EARTH, WE DIDN'T
GET THE HYDROGEN AND
HELIUM.
WE GOT A LOT OF ROCK
INSTEAD.
ALL OF THE INTER PLANETS
HAVE THIS ROCKY
COMPOSITION.
WHEN YOU GET TO JUPITER,
IT'S A DIFFERENT THING ALL
TOGETHER.
>> Rooney: THE FURTHER
OUT, THE COLDER OF GASSES?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
BECAUSE THE GASSES WERE
ABLE TO STAY AROUND AND
NOT BE BLOWN AWAY BY THE
HOT SUN.
>> Rooney: HOW DEPENDENT
ARE THOSE PLANETS ON THE
SUN FOR ITS EXISTENCE, THE
WAY WE ARE?
>> JUPITER AND THE OTHER
PLANETS, BECAUSE THEY'RE
GASEOUS, THEY'RE GIVING
OUT HEAT.
ERNEST AND NEPTUNE AND
SATURN ARE GLOWING BECAUSE
THERE IS HEAT ESCAPING
FROM THEIR INSIDE.
THE SUNLIGHT IS A LOT
WEAKER, SO THEY'RE MUCH
LESS DEPENDENT ON SUNLIGHT
FOR DRIVING THIS WIND
PATTERN.
WHATEVER IS DRIVING THE
WINDS AROUND JUPITER AND
MAKING THESE BANDS HAS TO
BE COMING FROM INSIDE THE
PLANET.
>> Rooney: IT DISAPPEARS
IN THE SPRING, AND WHEN IS
IT LIKELY TO RETURN?
>> IT COULD BE SIX MONTHS.
IT COULD BE A YEAR FROM
NOW.
RIGHT NOW, JUPITER, IF
PEOPLE WANT TO SEE IT,
LOOK TO THE EAST, AND IT
IS THE BRIGHT STAR -- I'M
SORRY, IT IS A PLANET.
IF PEOPLE HAVE A SMALL
TELESCOPE, THEY SHOULD
POINT IT AT JUPITER, AND
THEY WILL SEE THIS BAND OR
THESE BANDS, WHEN IT COMES
BACK.
>> Rooney: SO EVEN WITH
JUST LIKE A HOME --
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH
OF GEAR IN ORDER TO SEE
THIS.
THESE STRIPES ARE AS WIDE
AS THE EARTH.
EVEN FROM A HALF BILLION
MILLIONS ACROSS SPACE, WE
CAN SEE THEM PRETTY
EASILY.
>> Rooney: BY THE WAY,
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN
WITH THE SPACE PROGRAM.
THIS IS IT?
IS THAT A GOOD THING,.
>> THE NASA SPACE PROGRAM?
IT IS IN A TIME OF
EXPLORATION.
WHEN YOU PUT HUMANS INTO
THE MIX, IT GETS VERY,
VERY EXPENSIVE.
WHAT THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION HAS
DECIDED, THEY CANNOT
CONTINUE TO FUND NOT ONLY
THE EXISTING PROGRAM, THAT
IS THE SPACE STATION, AND
GETTING ASTRONAUTS TO AND
FROM THAT, AND BUILD AN
ENTIRELY NEW SYSTEM OF
SPACE THAT THE BUSH SYSTEM
AGREED TO BUILD BUT HASN'T
FUNDED NASA TO DO.
I THINK IT WILL ALL SHAPE
OUT.
>> Rooney: YOU DO?
>> BECAUSE IF YOU THINK
ABOUT IT, THE AEROSPACE
PLACES ARE BUILDING THE
SPACE MISSIONS.
>> Rooney: THAT IS IT
FOR "GREATER BOSTON." A
REMINDER TO TUNE IN AT
NOON TOMORROW FOR MY RADIO
PROGRAM ON THE NEW 89.7,
WGBH FOLLOWED BY CALLIE
CROSSLEY.
PLUS GAIL SHEHE WITH HER
NEW BOOK, PASSAGES IN CARE
GIVING.
THAT'S "GREATER BOSTON"
FOR TONIGHT.
I'M EMILY ROONEY, GOOD
NIGHT.