Tilt of Jupiter
Written by Fraser Cain
Just like Earth, Jupiter is tilted on its axis; but just barely. Jupiter's axial tilt is only 3.13°. Because of the low tilt, Jupiter doesn't really have seasons like Earth or Mars.
However, the lack of a tilt on Jupiter does have another impact on the planet's weather. The poles constantly receive less sunlight than the regions around the equator. Heat moves around inside the planet, transporting energy to the poles, and balancing out temperatures in the cloud layers.
Here's an article from Universe Today describing how convection inside Jupiter is the source of its winds, and another discussing how giant storms on Jupiter can appear in a single day.
Here's an article from Wikipedia describing axial tilt in general, and more information on Jupiter from NASA's World Book.
We've also recorded an entire show just on Jupiter for Astronomy Cast. Listen to it here, Episode 56: Jupiter, and Episode 57: Jupiter's Moons.
Filed under: Astronomy
