Jupiter’s jets, domains, belts & zones

John Rogers 

Jupiter’s visible pattern of belts and zones is formed by a permanent pattern of atmospheric jets (jet streams), which provide the basic framework for its atmospheric dynamics.  The average latitudes and speeds of the jets, as determined by four spacecraft, are listed in the tables below, and the diagram plots them against a typical map of the planet.  The eastward (prograde) jets divide the atmosphere into ‘domains’, and the belts and zones are named accordingly as shown in the diagram.  In the low/mid-latitude domains, the equatorward (cyclonic) half of each domain usually corresponds to a visible dark belt, while the poleward (anticyclonic) half corresponds to a bright zone; but the visible patterns are variable while the jet streams are permanent.

More background information and references are on our older web pages at:  https://britastro.org/jupiter/reference/jup_jets/ref_jets.htm