What term names Jupiter's lighter atmospheric bands?

Jupiter’s lighter atmospheric bands are called zones. They alternate with darker bands known as belts, creating the planet’s familiar striped appearance when viewed through a telescope or spacecraft camera.

Zones generally contain brighter, higher-altitude ammonia-ice clouds. They are associated with rising gas in the visible upper atmosphere, where ammonia-rich material cools and condenses into reflective cloud layers. Belts have thinner, lower clouds that reveal darker material beneath, although the exact chemistry behind Jupiter’s colors is still not fully understood.

The boundaries between zones and belts are marked by powerful jet streams. These winds can reach hundreds of meters per second and help maintain Jupiter’s banded pattern. The Great Red Spot is not a zone or belt; it is a giant anticyclonic storm embedded within the South Tropical region. Names such as plumes and spots describe other atmospheric features, not the light bands themselves.