Researchers found evidence suggesting the weather on Jupiter and Saturn might stem from radically different forces than weather on Earth, according to a recent paper published in the journal Science Advances.

Three researchers — two from Harvard University and one from the University of Alberta — used computer simulations to show how major weather systems on Jupiter and Saturn could be driven via internal instead of external forces (like Earth is), which might explain bizarre formations like large anticyclones and Jupiters intimidating red spot, reports phys.org.

Earth's weather is mainly driven via the interaction between the planet and the solar system environment — within the thin layer of atmosphere near the surface. For decades, scientists thought weather on other planets worked much the same way — including Jupiter and Saturn. But in the new study, researchers show this line of thought is going in the wrong direction.