Seasonal changes in the activity factor of Jupiter’s hemispheres and their relationship with solar activity and orbital motion
| 1Vidmachenko, AP 1Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Kinemat. fiz. nebesnyh tel (Online) 2025, 41(5):19-28 |
| https://doi.org/10.15407/kfnt2025.05.019 |
| Language: Ukrainian |
Abstract: The article analyzes long-term changes in the reflective properties of Jupiter’s atmosphere in order to study seasonal variations and the influence of solar activity. Jupiter has a very dynamic atmosphere, consisting mainly of hydrogen and helium. And impurities of ammonia, methane and some other compounds form visible cloud layers and haze above the clouds. The planet’s powerful magnetosphere plays an important role in the formation of the observed phenomena. The significant eccentricity of Jupiter’s orbit (e ≈ 0.0485) leads to the fact that the inflow of solar energy to the planet’s atmosphere changes by 21 % between perihelion and aphelion. At the same time, the Northern Hemisphere receives a significantly larger energy flow, since the summer solstice for it falls on the period when the planet passes perihelion. This causes variations in the physical characteristics of the atmosphere and indicates the presence of seasonal changes. To quantitatively assess these changes, we used the ratio AJ = BN/BS of the brightness of the northern and southern tropical and temperate regions as a factor of the photometric activity of atmospheric processes. Analysis of these data for the period 1960—2025 allowed us to identify a clear periodicity of changes in AJ with a period of ~11.87 years, which corresponds to the orbital period of Jupiter and indicates the existence of seasonal restructuring of the atmosphere. The influence of orbital eccentricity (change in insolation by ~21 %) and solar activity (in particular, the ~22-year Hale cycle and UV radiation) on different layers of the atmosphere is discussed. The characteristic time delay of the atmospheric response (radiation constant τR) is determined, which is approximately 3.4 years (τR ≈ 1.07⋅108 s) during periods of coordinated action of orbital and solar factors. A period of imbalance (1995—2012) and subsequent restoration of synchronization are recorded, which was accompanied by a decrease in the effective radiation constant to ~2.5 years (τR ≈ 0.79⋅108 s), probably due to the increased influence of solar activity on the upper layers of the atmosphere. |
| Keywords: hemispheric activity factor, Jupiter’s atmosphere, orbital motion, radiation constant, seasonal changes, solar activity |
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