Findings from NASA’s Juno mission has provided a first 3D look at how the planet’s distinctive and colorful atmosphere works. The new observations highlight the inner workings of the belts and zones of clouds encircling the giant planet, polar cyclones and even the iconic anticyclone called the Great Red Spot, the U.S. space agency said on Friday.

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is over 200 miles (350 km) deep, and its polar cyclones barely change location over time. New findings from our #JunoMission give a fuller picture of the planet’s turbulent atmosphere: https://t.co/tZX2MsKFLl pic.twitter.com/rRO1m01gUg

— NASA (@NASA) October 28, 2021

According to the new findings, the cyclones are warmer on top, with lower atmospheric densities and colder at the bottom, with higher densities. On the other hand, anticyclones, which rotate in the opposite direction, are colder at the top but warmer at the bottom.

In addition, data collected by Juno’s MWR reveal one possible clue – that the atmosphere’s ammonia gas travels up and down in remarkable alignment with the observed jet streams. The data also shows that the belts and zones undergo a transition around 65 kilometres beneath Jupiter’s water clouds.

As for polar cyclones, the mission scientists have determined these atmospheric phenomena are extremely resilient, remaining in the same location. Data from Juno’s Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) suggest that, like hurricanes on Earth, these cyclones want to move poleward, but cyclones located at the center of each pole push them back.

“These new observations from Juno open up a treasure chest of new information about Jupiter’s enigmatic observable features. Each paper sheds light on different aspects of the planet’s atmospheric processes, a wonderful example of how our internationally-diverse science teams strengthen understanding of our solar system,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

NASA’s Juno launched on a five-year interplanetary journey in 2011 and entered Jupiter’s orbit in 2016. The spacecraft is now on an extended mission to study the gas giant planet.