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Article: WATER SURPRISINGLY ABSENT Jupiter mission raises questions about origin Probe suggests planet may have protected Earth from comets, asteroids; Galileo probe data continues to surprise scientists
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- May 27, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Recent discoveries require the rethinking of commonly held beliefs
about Jupiter's compositional makeup and planetary forces. An
intense radiation belt located between Jupiter's ring and the upper
atmosphere is approximately 10 times as strong as Earth's Van Allen
belt.
Lightning activity was found to be 3 to 10 times less common
than on Earth, but the bolts were much stronger. Upper atmospheric
densities and temperatures are higher than expected, probably due to
an internal heat source. The deep atmosphere is drier than expected
and is convective. Visibility was found to be much higher than
expected in the immediate vicinity of the probe. Strong winds
persist to great depths.
Unlike ...