Jupiter’s strange atmosphere may have formed in a gigantic shadow

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

The mix of gases that make up Jupiter’s atmosphere has long puzzled astronomers, but now it seems that the giant planet’s shadowy birthplace may be responsible.

Jupiter has a high proportion of nitrogen and noble gases in its atmosphere compared to the sun, but theories of how the solar system formed suggest they should be similar, because the solar system started out as a dense cloud of dust and gas which collapsed to form the sun and then the planets. …