The polygonal patterns of polar cyclones on jupiter are a major juno discovery. With its highly inclined orbit, juno provides the only vantage point from which to observe these dynamical phenomena.…

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was awarded a $540,820 research grant by a civilian federal agency on February 1, 2020, with an ultimate completion date of January 31, 2027. This non-set-aside grant supports fundamental research into the polygonal patterns of polar cyclones on Jupiter, a major discovery made possible by NASA's Juno spacecraft. The research leverages Juno's unique highly-inclined orbital vantage point to observe and analyze vortex dynamics in Jupiter's atmosphere, extending the classical theoretical work on polygonal vortex arrays originally studied by Lord Kelvin in laboratory settings to real-world planetary phenomena that incorporate the complexities of gravity and rotation. The work is conducted at Caltech's location in Pasadena, California.

The research scope encompasses both contemporary data analysis from Juno observations and re-analysis of archival Voyager mission data to develop a comprehensive understanding of vortex behavior in planetary atmospheres. This broader investigative approach allows researchers to study not only Jupiter's polar cyclones but also related phenomena such as the Great Red Spot and other comparable atmospheric vortices. By combining historical datasets with cutting-edge observations, the project aims to advance scientific knowledge of atmospheric dynamics across multiple planets and contribute to fundamental understanding of how large-scale vortex systems behave in rotating, gravity-dominated planetary environments.

The polygonal patterns of polar cyclones on jupiter are a major juno discovery. With its highly inclined orbit, juno provides the only vantage point from which to observe these dynamical phenomena. Studying polygonal arrays of vortices has a long history going back to lord kelvin in the 19TH century, but those were laboratory studies. Now we have examples of these phenomena in nature, with the complications of gravity and rotation. New frontiers is the relevant program because of the essential data provided by juno. But the questions of vortex behavior in planetary atmospheres is more general and extends to the great red spot and its smaller cousins, which is why we propose to analyze unused voyager data as part of this study.