Jupiter’s Stealth Storms Reveal Lightning Up to 100× Earth Power

Using NASA’s Juno data and Hubble imagery, scientists find Jupiter’s storms unleash lightning far stronger than Earth’s—some flashes may reach 100× Earth’s power, with total energy hundreds to thousands of times greater. By tracking isolated 2021–22 “stealth” storms, researchers correlated microwave signals with specific events in 100+ km‑tall clouds, though exact energies depend on wavelength and storm dynamics. The study, published in AGU Advances (2026), highlights differences in Jupiter’s hydrogen‑rich atmosphere and ammonia‑water ice (potential “mushball” hail) physics, while leaving many details of the mechanism unresolved.