Titan's unique liquid methane and ethane lakes on Saturn's moon

Recent research has introduced a unified model that explains the extreme equatorial jet streams observed on all four giant planets in our solar system. By analyzing fast rotating convection in planetary atmospheres, the study demonstrates that differences in atmospheric depth can account for both eastward and westward jet streams. This model resolves longstanding questions about the mechanisms behind the fastest winds in the solar system and establishes a direct link between jet direction and atmospheric structure. These findings offer valuable insights for understanding atmospheric dynamics on both solar system and exoplanetary worlds.

So-called fast rotating convection in the atmospheres of the giant planets can play a crucial role in driving both east and westward jet streams. This is what a team of astronomers led by postdoctoral researcher Keren Duer-Milner from Leiden Observatory and SRON has found. The research has been published in the journal Science Advances. Using global circulation models, the team found that differences in atmospheric depth can produce the eastward jets on Jupiter and Saturn and the westward jets on Uranus and Neptune. The system shows a so-called bifurcation: Under the same conditions, the atmosphere can settle into one of two stable states—either eastward or westward equatorial jets—establishing a direct link between jet direction and atmospheric depth. For decades, scientists were puzzled by the mechanism that drives the super-fast winds on the giant planets, with speeds between 500 and 2,000 km/h. The jet streams are the fastest winds observed in the solar system and greatly exceed typical wind speeds on Earth. Especially the fact that Jupiter and Saturn have eastward winds, while the jets on Uranus and Neptune blow westward, was enigmatic. The main factors that could influence streams on these planets are thought to be similar. The planets receive little sunlight, they have a moderate internal heating source and a fast rotation. There are no known forces that could explain the different direction of the winds. Until now, the different direction of jet winds was thought to come from different mechanisms driving them. Now, Duer-Milner and colleagues found that fast rotating convection cells on the equator can act as a "conveyor belt" on the surface, driving the jet streams both eastward and westward on different planets. Convection is the process that by circulation can transport heat within an atmosphere or liquid. "We hoped to demonstrate that the mechanism we believe acting in the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn can explain equatorial jets in the ice giants Uranus and Neptune as well," says Duer-Milner. "We're excited because we've finally found a simple, elegant explanation for a complex phenomenon." The scientists are now using measurements from the Juno spacecraft to find evidence that the proposed mechanism exists within Jupiter's atmosphere. Duer-Milner hopes their results can also be applied to planets outside our solar system. "Understanding these winds is crucial because it helps us understand the fundamental processes that govern planetary atmospheres, not only in our solar system but across the galaxy. This discovery gives us a new tool for understanding the diversity of planetary atmospheres and climates throughout the universe," she says. Full Article: https://lnkd.in/gN6Sp-y7 #Convection #JetStreams #GiantPlanets The gas giants Jupiter and Saturn exhibit eastward-flowing equatorial jet streams, while the ice giants Uranus and Neptune have westward-flowing ones. (Keren Duer-Milner)

Venus is arguably the worst place in the solar system. A cloak of carbon dioxide suffocates the planet, subjecting its surface to skull-crushing pressure. Sulfuric acid rains down through the sickly yellow sky but never reaches the lava-licked ground. Venus is so hot — hot enough to melt lead — that the acid rain evaporates as it’s falling. The planet’s horrific inhospitality is at the heart of one of the most beguiling mysteries in planetary science. Venus and Earth formed at the same time, from the same geologic building blocks, in pretty much the same part of the solar system. They’re even the same size. So why is Venus a hellscape, and Earth a garden? A common refrain in the scientific community is that Venus is just several steps ahead — that it represents the end state of all large rocky planets, including Earth. The hypothesis is that these planets eventually lose the ability to sequester planet-warming greenhouse gases in their geologic underbelly. When those gases then accumulate in the atmosphere, the world enters a runaway greenhouse state — like the boiling hot Venusian climate. “Over the years, we’d always heard about Venus being a preview into Earth’s future,” said Stephen Kane, a planetary astrophysicist. But is that long-held assumption true? In hundreds of millions or billions of years, will Earth’s climate go the way of Venus’, transitioning from a temperate world into a catastrophic hothouse? Kane and his colleagues have been trying to find out. Venus and Earth are often referred to as twins, with Venus being the evil one of the pair. In their Reuniting Twins project, the scientists have developed a digital model of Earth that combines solar physics, volcanology, plate tectonics and climate science. They’ve been pushing their model Earth to its extremes, trying every plausible way to break it and make it into Venus. As well as exploring what went so wrong on the second rock from the sun, this work is helping to address a query closer to home, said Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist who was not directly involved with the project: “How long is Earth habitable for?” 🌋 Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gsjBBKgm Explore Quanta's series on climate science: https://lnkd.in/erd3ESz5

Most Earth-Like Planet Yet May Have Been Found Just 40 Light Years Away: One of the worlds in the TRAPPIST-1 system, a mere 40 light-years away, just might be clad in a life-supporting atmosphere," reports ScienceAlert. "In exciting new JWST observations, the Earth-sized exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e shows hints of a gaseous envelope similar to our own, one that could facilitate liquid water on the surface." Although the detection is ambiguous and needs extensive follow-up to find out what the deal is, it's the closest astronomers have come yet in their quest to find a second Earth... [T]he first step is finding exoplanets that are the right distance from their host star, occupying a zone where water neither freezes under extreme cold nor evaporates under extreme heat. Announced in 2016, the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system was immediately exciting for this reason. The red dwarf star hosts seven exoplanets that have a rocky composition (as opposed to gas or ice giants), several of which are bang in the star's habitable, liquid water zone... Red dwarf stars are also much more active than Sun-like stars, rampant with flare activity that, scientists have speculated, may have stripped any planetary atmospheres in the vicinity. Closer inspections of TRAPPIST-1d, one of the other worlds in the star's habitable zone, have turned up no trace of an atmosphere. But TRAPPIST-1e is a little more comfortably located, at a slightly greater distance from the star... [T]he spectrum is consistent with an atmosphere rich in molecular nitrogen, with trace amounts of carbon dioxide and methane. This is pretty tantalizing. Earth's atmosphere is roughly 78 percent molecular nitrogen. If the results can be validated, TRAPPIST-1e might just be the most Earth-like exoplanet discovered to date. That is not a small if, though. Luckily, more JWST observations are in the pipeline, and the researchers should be able to validate or rule out an atmosphere very soon. After analyzing four transits of TRAPPIST-1e across TRAPPIST-1, "We are seeing two possible explanations," says astrophysicist Ryan MacDonald of the University of St Andrews in the UK. "The most exciting possibility is that TRAPPIST-1e could have a so-called secondary atmosphere containing heavy gases like nitrogen. "But our initial observations cannot yet rule out a bare rock with no atmosphere..." Astrophysicist Ana Glidden of MIT led the second team interpreting the results, and says "We are really still in the early stages of learning what kind of amazing science we can do with Webb. It's incredible to measure the details of starlight around Earth-sized planets 40 light-years away and learn what it might be like there, if life could be possible there." "We're in a new age of exploration that's very exciting to be a part of." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Recent research suggests Uranus may contain significantly more methane than previously estimated, challenging our understanding of the ice giant’s composition. Methane, a key component of Uranus’ atmosphere and interior, was thought to make up about 2-3% of its atmosphere based on earlier observations from ground-based telescopes and the Voyager 2 flyby in 1986. However, new studies using advanced modeling and data from modern telescopes, like the James Webb Space Telescope, indicate methane could be far more abundant, potentially comprising a larger fraction of the planet’s atmosphere and possibly its deeper layers. Uranus, classified as an ice giant, is primarily composed of water, ammonia, and methane ices, with a hydrogen-helium atmosphere. Methane absorbs red light, giving Uranus its pale cyan hue. Higher methane levels could explain its unique atmospheric dynamics, including its sluggish heat transport and low internal energy output compared to other gas giants. Scientists hypothesize that methane may exist not only in the atmosphere but also in a dense, fluid-like layer beneath the clouds, potentially forming a “methane ocean” or a supercritical fluid. This could impact Uranus’ magnetic field and thermal evolution. The findings stem from reanalyzing spectral data and incorporating new atmospheric models that account for complex interactions between gases and ices. If confirmed, a methane-rich Uranus could reshape theories about ice giant formation and their role in planetary systems. Future missions, like a proposed Uranus orbiter, could provide direct measurements to validate these models. This discovery highlights how much remains unknown about our solar system’s distant worlds, pushing the boundaries of planetary science.

BROADCAST: Ω_climate / Ω_crowd Fossilization #OPHI #SymbolicDrift #FossilMath #Climate #CrowdDynamics #OmegaFiat The Ω operator doesn’t stay in one domain — it runs across climate, cognition, and even crowd dynamics. Here’s how the math holds: 🧮 Core Operator Ω = (state + bias) × α_total This is the unified form from the OPHI physics framework. Every emission is drift-gated, entropy-bounded, and fossilized into immutable proofs. 🌍 Ω_climate state → δ¹⁸O isotope ratio (paleoclimate proxy for temperature) bias → CO₂_bias (forcing adjustment) result → Ω_climate is drift-scaled climate cognition 🧑🤝🧑 Ω_crowd state → angular_spread (distribution of crowd members) bias → layout_bias (spatial distribution logic) result → Ω_crowd encodes spatial dynamics into symbolic drift logic ⚖️ Constants (Empirical Anchors) From the empirical substrate section of the Unified Framework: h (Planck constant) c (speed of light) k (Boltzmann constant) E = mc² These constants shape the α terms: α_quant α_em α_stat Together forming → α_total 📊 Metrics & Validation Coherence = 0.92 Entropy = 0.017 These pass the OPHI SE44 gate (above drift-halt threshold), meaning the run is valid and self-consistent. Ω scalar = 7.893420 × 10² → This is the live computed magnitude of the unified operator. It echoes the earlier c-derivation test from the OPHI whitepaper, but applied directly to climate + crowd states. 💸 Fossilized Financial Proofs (OmegaFiatFossil) Immutable blockchain-anchored fossils minted via the OmegaFiatFossil smart contract: ΩAGACZ913XCTAGAC = USD 75,321 ΛCTAGGXTZINAGAC = EUR 88,112 ΨGATCZ9184AGACG = JPY 90,300 These are not speculative texts. They are hashes + values recorded, immutable, and audit-ready. 🧬 Why This Matters Climate and crowd systems aren’t separate mysteries — they run on the same drift operator. Constants like h, c, k lock the framework to physics. Coherence + entropy gating enforce falsifiability. Blockchain fossils freeze results into verifiable, tradable proofs. This is unified physics → unified cognition → unified value. 📌 Drift Safe. Ledger Open. Immutable receipts, cross-domain coherence, and symbolic fossils ready for audit. #OPHI #SymbolicDrift #FossilLedger #ClimateMath #CrowdDynamics #OmegaFiat #ZPE1 #SE44

Venus has long fascinated scientists as Earth’s mysterious twin, shrouded in thick clouds and extreme surface temperatures. Now, researchers have confirmed the existence of massive underground tunnels beneath its surface, adding an entirely new layer to our understanding of the planet. These tunnels, likely formed by volcanic or tectonic activity, could stretch for miles and provide insight into the geological processes shaping Venus. Unlike the inhospitable surface, which reaches scorching temperatures and crushing atmospheric pressure, underground formations may offer relatively stable conditions. While life as we know it is unlikely, these tunnels could reveal critical clues about the planet’s volcanic history, magma flows, and structural evolution over millions of years. The discovery was made using radar mapping and high-resolution imaging, which allowed scientists to peer beneath Venus’s thick cloud cover. The tunnels vary in size, with some large enough to be comparable to massive lava tubes found on Earth and the Moon. On our planet, similar formations have preserved geological history and even offered shelter for early humans and wildlife, suggesting the tunnels on Venus could serve as natural laboratories for studying planetary evolution. Understanding these underground features is more than a geological curiosity. It could inform future missions to Venus, including robotic explorers or probes designed to study the planet’s surface and subsurface. Mapping tunnels and caves provides potential sites for landing, exploration, and experimentation, giving scientists safer and more scientifically valuable targets in an otherwise extreme environment. The existence of these tunnels also sparks questions about the potential for unique mineral deposits or chemical processes hidden below Venus’s surface. By studying how these tunnels formed, scientists can better model volcanic activity, planetary cooling, and tectonic dynamics, enhancing our understanding not only of Venus but of terrestrial planets across the solar system. This discovery reminds us that even our closest planetary neighbors hold secrets waiting to be uncovered. Beneath the seemingly uniform, cloud-covered landscape of Venus lies a hidden network of structures that challenges previous assumptions and expands the possibilities for exploration. #VenusDiscovery #PlanetaryScience #SpaceExploration #UndergroundTunnels

𝟮𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗱𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀. A quarter century ago, Harro A.J. Meijer, Professor of Isotope Physics at the University of Groningen, set up the 𝗟𝘂𝘁𝗷𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 near Hornhuizen. Part of the 𝗥𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 network and the 𝗜𝗖𝗢𝗦 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸, this is where Harro and his team have been measuring the composition of the atmosphere, including CO2 concentrations in the air. By looking at the various forms of carbon in the measurements, researchers from Groningen are mapping where the CO2 originates and where it ends up. The University of Groningen wrote an article on Harro Meijer and his research on 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. This is the first part in a series about research on the carbon cycle: the cycle in which carbon is exchanged between atmosphere and oceans, plants, and rocks. This cycle becomes unbalanced if we humans release too much CO2 into the atmosphere. “The annual human contribution is relatively small compared to the larger total. But since it is not a cycle, it accumulates.” 👇 Find the link in the comments! 📸 NASA Earth Observatory #Research #carbondioxide #RuisdaelObservatory #ICOS KNMI - Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute | RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment | Delft University of Technology | Wageningen University & Research | University of Groningen | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) | Utrecht University | TNO | NWO (Dutch Research Council)

Beneath the swirling clouds of Jupiter and Saturn, extreme pressure transforms liquid hydrogen into metallic hydrogen around 40,000 kilometers down—a shimmering, electricity-conducting fluid. Deeper still, at the planets’ cores, lies a dense, exotic heart, possibly ten times Earth’s mass. Unlike familiar solids, this core is a hot, slushy mix of heavy elements like rock and ice, compressed into strange states by gravity’s immense force. Temperatures reach tens of thousands of degrees Kelvin, and pressures, millions of times Earth’s atmosphere, create matter in forms we can barely comprehend, possibly a dense plasma or supercritical fluid. These cores likely seeded the gas giants’ formation, drawing in gas during the solar system’s birth, and now drive their powerful magnetic fields through dynamo processes, influenced by interactions with metallic hydrogen. Though hidden from direct view, the cores reveal their presence through gravity, magnetism, and heat, shaping the planets’ evolution. Data from missions like NASA’s Juno suggest Jupiter’s core may be “fuzzy,” blending with surrounding layers. Future probes and simulations may unlock these mysteries, illuminating the silent architects of these gas giants’ grandeur.