Average temperature on Jupiter
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Jupiter Atmospheric Temperature: Troposphere and Cloud Tops
Measurements from various missions and models show that Jupiter's troposphere, especially near the 1-bar pressure level (close to the visible cloud tops), has temperatures ranging from about 155 K to 170 K depending on latitude and atmospheric conditions. Recent reanalysis of Voyager data finds temperatures at 1 bar to be around 170.3 ± 3.8 K at 12°S and 167.3 ± 3.8 K at the equator, which are slightly higher than the 166.1 ± 0.8 K measured by the Galileo probe at a specific location. These findings suggest that Jupiter’s tropospheric temperatures can vary by up to 7 K between different latitudes near the equator and southern hemisphere . Earlier studies using Pioneer 10 data reported similar values, with 170 K at 1 bar in the South Equatorial Belt and 155 K in the South Tropical Zone, depending on cloud cover and atmospheric composition . The effective temperature, which represents the planet’s overall energy emission, is about 126.8 ± 4.5 K .
Upper Atmosphere and Thermosphere Temperatures
Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, or thermosphere, is much hotter than the lower layers. High-resolution temperature maps using H3+ emissions show that the median equatorial temperature in the upper atmosphere is about 762 ± 43 K, with auroral regions reaching even higher values—1200 ± 96 K in the north and 1143 ± 120 K in the south. These temperatures decrease smoothly from the auroral zones toward the equator . The Galileo probe also measured a temperature increase from 109 K at the 175-millibar level up to 900 ± 40 K at very high altitudes (1 nanobar), confirming the presence of a hot thermosphere . Models indicate that the upper atmosphere is about 700 K hotter than what would be expected from solar heating alone, likely due to energy input from Jupiter’s magnetosphere and auroral activity .
Stratospheric and Auroral Region Variability
Jupiter’s stratospheric temperatures, especially in the auroral regions, can change independently in the north and south. For example, the southern auroral region experienced an 11.1 ± 5.2 K increase at 1 mbar over a two-year period, possibly linked to changes in charged particle precipitation and solar wind pressure . Long-term studies also reveal periodic temperature variations in the upper troposphere, with cycles of 4 to 14 years that are not directly tied to seasonal solar heating, suggesting complex atmospheric dynamics .
Conclusion
Jupiter’s average temperature depends on the atmospheric layer being considered. The cloud tops and troposphere are typically around 155–170 K, while the upper atmosphere and auroral regions are much hotter, often exceeding 700 K and reaching over 1200 K in some areas. These temperatures vary with latitude, altitude, and time, reflecting the influence of internal heat, atmospheric dynamics, and interactions with Jupiter’s powerful magnetosphere Roberts2025Orton1975Yates2020+5 MORE.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Spatiotemporal Variations of Temperature in Jupiter’s Upper Atmosphere
High-resolution H 3+ temperature maps show consistent pole-to-pole temperature structure in Jupiter's upper atmosphere, with temperatures decreasing smoothly from auroral to equatorial latitudes.
Jupiter's Temperature Structure: A Reassessment of the Voyager Radio Occultation Measurements
Jupiter's tropospheric temperatures may vary by up to 7 K between 7°N and 12°S, with the corrected temperature at 1 bar being up to 4 K greater than previously published values.
Independent evolution of stratospheric temperatures in Jupiter's northern and southern auroral regions from 2014 to 2016
Jupiter's southern auroral region experienced a net increase in temperature from 2014 to 2016, potentially due to higher-energy charged particle precipitation.
Uniformly hot nightside temperatures on short-period gas giants
Hot Jupiter nightside temperatures cluster around 1,100 K, with a slight upward trend as stellar irradiation increases, possibly due to optically thick nightside clouds radiating at their cloud-top temperature.
Thermal Structure of Jupiter's Upper Atmosphere Derived from the Galileo Probe
The Galileo Probe data suggests wavelike oscillations are the probable source of upper atmosphere heating in Jupiter, with temperatures increasing from 109 kelvin at the 175-millibar level to 900 40 kelvin at 1 nanobar.
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