Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: NASA
Jupiter’s famous clouds aren’t frozen ammonia but a murky mix of ammonium hydrosulfide and smog!
Citizen scientist Steve Hill used a backyard telescope to challenge decades of scientific belief about Jupiter’s clouds.
Credit: NASA
Hill’s data showed the clouds were deeper in the atmosphere than expected, meaning they couldn't be pure ammonia ice.
Hill teamed up with Oxford scientists using ESO’s Very Large Telescope to confirm his backyard observations.
Jupiter’s clouds resemble a “layered cake,” with different chemicals stacked at various depths in the atmosphere.
Credit: NASA
Instead of pristine ammonia ice, the upper clouds contain ammonium hydrosulfide mixed with hazy pollutants.
Advanced instruments like MUSE helped map Jupiter’s atmosphere, but amateur astronomers still play a huge role.
Jupiter’s wild weather can push ammonia ice to the top—but it’s just a temporary “decoration” on the planet’s storms.
Backyard astronomers aren’t just stargazing—they're reshaping our understanding of the Solar System!