This is a drawing depicting the motions in earth's atmosphere. Image from: Random House Atlas, NOAA

Motions in the atmosphere of a planet help carry heat from the surface back to space.

The drawing to the left illustrates a kind of global motion that is typical of motions in the atmosphere as well as interior of a planet. Material rises from where is it warmest, and moves in a roiling motion like the boiling of a pot.

In the top drawing, there are three different cells of activity in the atmosphere where the air turns over (depicted by red sheets). The bottom is an image of the Earth showing the mild striped pattern of clouds which comes about in response to the motion in the atmosphere depicted by the red sheets. There is one stripe of clouds in the middle, at the equator, and two other stripes of clouds halfway to the north and south poles.

On Jupiter, this pattern is multiplied a thousand times by the forces of Jupiter's gravity and tremendous spin. Jupiter spins once in 10 hours. For a planet the size of Jupiter, this spin creates a powerful force.

This is a drawing depicting the motions in earth's atmosphere. Image from: Random House Atlas, NOAA

Motions in the atmosphere of a planet help carry heat from the surface back to space.

The drawing to the left shows a kind of motion that is found in the atmosphere as well as inside a planet.

In the top drawing, there are three red sheets of activity in the atmosphere where the air turns over. The bottom is an image of the Earth showing the weak striped pattern of clouds which happens in response to the motion in the atmosphere shown by the red sheets. There is one stripe of clouds in the middle, at the equator, and two other stripes of clouds halfway to the north and south poles.

On Jupiter, this pattern is multiplied a thousand times by the forces of Jupiter's gravity and tremendous spin. Jupiter spins once in 10 hours. For a planet the size of Jupiter, this spin creates a powerful force.

This is a drawing depicting the motions in earth's atmosphere. Image from: Random House Atlas, NOAA

Motions in the atmosphere of a planet help carry heat from the surface back to space.

The drawing to the left shows a kind of motion that is found in the atmosphere as well as inside a planet.

In the top drawing, there are three red sheets of activity in the atmosphere where the air turns over. The bottom is an image of the Earth showing the weak striped pattern of clouds which happens in response to the motion in the atmosphere shown by the red sheets. There is one stripe of clouds in the middle, at the equator, and two other stripes of clouds halfway to the north and south poles.

On Jupiter, this pattern is multiplied a thousand times by the forces of Jupiter's gravity and tremendous spin. Jupiter spins once in 10 hours. For a planet the size of Jupiter, this spin creates a powerful force.