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An amateur has revealed the fascinating secret of Jupiter

Scientists and amateur astronomers have joined forces to challenge the long-standing assumption that Jupiter's clouds are made of frozen ammonia – an essential feature of the planet.

Using commercially available telescopes and spectral filters, amateur astronomer Steve Hill collected data to map the amount of ammonia in Jupiter's atmosphere. But he discovered something that contradicted previous models of the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere.

“I was intrigued!” Patrick Irwin of Oxford told Space.com. "At first I was skeptical that Hill's method could produce such detailed ammonia maps. But as the analysis progressed, doubts gave way to excitement."

Jupiter's atmosphere and new discoveries

Jupiter's atmosphere consists mainly of hydrogen and helium, with smaller amounts of ammonia, methane, water vapor and other gases. These gases condense at different altitudes, creating clouds that reflect sunlight and give the planets a striking appearance. Because ammonia is present in Jupiter's atmosphere and condenses at the lowest pressure of any known gas, scientists have long assumed that the planet's largest visible clouds are made of frozen ammonia.

"Scientists will always assume a simple model until they have compelling evidence that that model is wrong," Irwin explained.

Hill's method, called "Absorption Depth Analysis," uses specific wavelengths of light that methane (619 nm) and ammonia (647 nm) absorb. By comparing these absorptions, he was able to calculate and map the distribution of ammonia with great precision.

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