Jupiter Swirling Storms

Jupiter's zonal winds, going in opposite directions, generate eddies of all sizes that manifest in storms swirling in the atmosphere. At the highest level "pop-up clouds," the small, bright clouds that amass at the edge of one of these fronts, are thought to be parcels of air pushed up to the altitude at which ammonia ice condenses. Although they appear to be small, these bright storms may be 16 to 31 miles (25 to 50 kilometers) across. This image captures Jupiter's North Temperate Belt.