Jupiter hot or cold
Pro Research Analysisby 
Searched over 200M research papers
Is Jupiter Hot or Cold?
Temperature Variability on Jupiter
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, exhibits a wide range of temperatures across its atmosphere. The temperature on Jupiter is not uniform and varies significantly between different regions and layers of the atmosphere.
Hot Jupiters: Extreme Heat
Hot Jupiters are a class of exoplanets that orbit very close to their host stars, resulting in extremely high temperatures. These planets can have dayside temperatures exceeding 2000 K, which is comparable to the temperatures found in stellar atmospheres. The intense irradiation from their host stars leads to strong thermal inversions and the dissociation of molecular species such as H2O, TiO, and VO at low pressures.
Cold Regions and Night-Side Temperatures
Despite the high temperatures on the dayside, hot Jupiters also have significantly cooler regions. The nightside of these planets can be much colder due to the lack of direct stellar irradiation. For instance, the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76b has a dayside temperature of around 2699 K, while its nightside temperature drops to approximately 1259 K. This stark contrast is due to the planet's tidally locked nature, where one side perpetually faces the star while the other remains in darkness.
Atmospheric Dynamics and Temperature Distribution
The atmospheric dynamics of hot Jupiters play a crucial role in their temperature distribution. High-resolution simulations reveal that these atmospheres contain numerous intense storms that influence the spatial distribution of hot and cold regions. Additionally, the large day-night temperature differences can lead to the condensation and gravitational settling of species like TiO and silicates on the nightside, further contributing to the temperature variability.
Formation and Evolution of Hot Jupiters
The formation and evolution of hot Jupiters are influenced by their birth environments and subsequent interactions. These planets are often found around younger stars in high-density regions, which may reflect a bias towards detecting them before tidal forces lead to their destruction . In dense star clusters, interactions with flyby stars can activate high eccentricity migration mechanisms, leading to the formation of hot Jupiters and the expulsion of "ultra-cold Saturns" to distant orbits.
Transition Between Hot and Ultra-Hot Jupiters
There is a notable transition in the atmospheric properties of hot Jupiters as their equilibrium temperatures increase. This transition, observed at around 1660 K, marks a shift from non-inverted to inverted thermal profiles, where the dayside becomes even hotter relative to the nightside. This phenomenon is attributed to the presence of high-opacity atomic and molecular species that cause temperature inversions.
Conclusion
In summary, Jupiter's temperature profile is highly variable, with regions of extreme heat on the dayside of hot Jupiters and significantly cooler temperatures on the nightside. The atmospheric dynamics, formation environments, and evolutionary processes all contribute to this complex temperature distribution. Understanding these factors provides valuable insights into the nature of hot Jupiters and their atmospheric properties.
Sources and full results
Most relevant research papers on this topic