O’Donoghue et al. (2021) analyzed temperature data of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere observed in 2016 and 2017. When superimposed on a map of Jupiter, time-lapse data representing several hours of observations from one day in 2016 and one day in 2017 indicate an overall temperature gradient from the poles to the equator, with highest temperatures occurring at the poles, which undergo auroral heating. But the 2017 data exhibit a large oval of unusually elevated temperature separated from the aurora at one pole by a band of cooler atmosphere. No other known heating mechanism on Jupiter could account for the formation of this anomalous structure, so one hypothesis considered was that it was ejected from the auroral region toward the equator.
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hardWhich finding about Jupiter’s upper atmosphere, if true, would most strongly support the hypothesis as described in the text?
A
The 2017 data viewed in time-lapse show greater disparities between polar and equatorial temperatures at the beginning of the observation period than at the end of the period observed.
B
Comparing the data observed in 2016 with those observed in 2017 suggests that the anomalous oval of elevated temperature began forming in 2016.
C
The 2017 data viewed in time-lapse appear to show the oval of elevated temperature drifting slightly away from the area of auroral heating over a period of several hours.
D
According to the data, auroral temperatures in 2016 were higher than those in 2017, although in both years the highest observed temperatures were harbored in auroral zones.