Shortly after entering orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the spacecraft Juno captured images of huge cyclones whirling in geometric patterns at the planet's poles, an unexpected finding that dazzled scientists.
Jupiter's poles cannot be clearly seen from Earth. The existence of the cyclones were discovered when Juno became the first probe to go into polar orbit around the gaseous giant.
A new study led by UC San Diego reveals another surprise; the cyclones are sustained by moist convection, the term for water vapor that rises and turns into a cloud. It's very similar to the process that feeds cyclones on Earth, a starkly different world.
