• After witnessing the continued decrease of involvement in the SpotterNetwork staff in serving SN members with troubleshooting issues recently, I have unilaterally decided to terminate the relationship between SpotterNetwork's support and Stormtrack. I have witnessed multiple users unable to receive support weeks after initiating help threads on the forum. I find this lack of response from SpotterNetwork officials disappointing and a failure to hold up their end of the agreement that was made years ago, before I took over management of this site. In my opinion, having Stormtrack users sit and wait for so long to receive help on SpotterNetwork issues on the Stormtrack forums reflects poorly not only on SpotterNetwork, but on Stormtrack and (by association) me as well. Since the issue has not been satisfactorily addressed, I no longer wish for the Stormtrack forum to be associated with SpotterNetwork.

    I apologize to those who continue to have issues with the service and continue to see their issues left unaddressed. Please understand that the connection between ST and SN was put in place long before I had any say over it. But now that I am the "captain of this ship," it is within my right (nay, duty) to make adjustments as I see necessary. Ending this relationship is such an adjustment.

    For those who continue to need help, I recommend navigating a web browswer to SpotterNetwork's About page, and seeking the individuals listed on that page for all further inquiries about SpotterNetwork.

    From this moment forward, the SpotterNetwork sub-forum has been hidden/deleted and there will be no assurance that any SpotterNetwork issues brought up in any of Stormtrack's other sub-forums will be addressed. Do not rely on Stormtrack for help with SpotterNetwork issues.

    Sincerely, Jeff D.

The Weather on Jupiter

Mike Peregrine

EF5
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Messages
2,208
Location
Kansas City, Missouri
May present some better chase ops for chasers these days ... not quite as many congested roads. :)

The south equatorial cloud belt has disappeared completely in the last few months. When it reappears, it will be pretty cool to watch, with storms suddenly erupting around that latitude of the planet:

"I'll be watching every chance I get," Wesley said. "The revival will likely be sudden and dramatic, with planet-circling groups of storms appearing over the space of just a week or so."
Click to expand...

Most people can resolve that band on their scopes on a good night.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/space/05/20/jupiter.cloud.belt.missing/index.html?hpt=C2
 
I love Jupiter weather. I was shocked to learn in the 1990s that the Red Spot and its sister storms are actually HIGH pressure systems and not low pressure systems. They're not quite analagous to terrestrial storms. It's pretty cool.
 
Yeah ... it's anticyclonic (but in the southern hemisphere). Even though it's high pressure, the winds are booking along at a brisk 400 mph. It eats smaller storms (spots) that show up around it from time to time. It's quite a beast -
 
There's a bit more information at space.com: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/missing-jupiter-cloud-belt-mystifies-scientists-100521.html

I found this particular bit interesting: the speculation that the belt is not gone - just hidden by ammonia-cirrus clouds higher up in the atmosphere.

As you hinted at, Mike, this is something that has happened before, and scientists and astronomers will be watching for it to reappear. I know that NASA's Infrared Telescope facility has imaged Jupiter before -- I wonder if they'd learn anything interesting by scanning it in Infrared when the band begins to re-emerge.

I'm itching to get out my telescope and take a peek at Jupiter -- I just need the convergence of clear skies and the willpower to get up that early in the morning.
 
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