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P. J. Gierasch, D. Banfield, A. Simon-Miller (Cornell), A. P. Ingersoll (Cal Tech), M. J. S. Belton (NOAO), Galileo Imaging Team
Several bright regions within the North Equatorial Belt, the South Equatorial Belt, and near the Great Red Spot were observed by the Galileo imaging experiment and found to have complicated three dimensional cloud structure. Analysis of methane band images and of lighting and viewing angles gives information on vertical structure. Some of these features extend downward to a pressure level exceeding three bars, and extend upward to a pressure of 400 millbars. In at least one instance, night side imaging of the same location shows lightning. The clouds are imbedded in an environment with a broken cloud sheet near one bar pressure and with an upper troposphere haze of optical depth equal to a few units. The bright clouds are probalby due to moist convection originating in the water condensation region. The geometry of the convective clouds is described.