Jupiter hot spot makes trouble for theory.

0 Comments | M2 Presswire, February, 2002

M2 PRESSWIRE-28 February 2002-NASA: Jupiter hot spot makes trouble for theory (C)1994-2002 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD RDATE:27022002 A pulsating hot spot of X-rays has been discovered in the polar regions of Jupiter's upper atmosphere by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Previous theories cannot explain either the pulsations or the location of the hot spot, prompting scientists to search for a new process to produce Jupiter's X-rays.

"The location of the X-ray hot spot effectively retires the existing explanation for Jupiter's X-ray emission, leaving us very unsure of its origin," said Randy Gladstone of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio and lead author of a paper on the results in the Feb. 28, 2002, issue of the journal Nature. "The...