Cloud Swirls around Southern Jupiter from Juno
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, SwRI, MSSS; Processing: Damian Peach
Explanation: Juno just completed its fourth pass near Jupiter.
Launched from Earth in 2011 and arriving at
Jupiter just last July,
robotic Juno concluded its latest
elliptical orbit around our
Solar System's largest planet 11 days ago.
Pictured here from that pass is a new
high-resolution image of the southern hemisphere of Jupiter featuring a
mesmerizing tapestry of
swirling cloud systems. The
terminator between day and night cuts diagonally across the bottom, meaning that the Sun is positioned off the top right. Large
Oval BA is visible in orange on the far right. Reasons for the details and
colors of Jupiter's cloud swirls are currently unknown.
Juno planned six year mission will study Jovian giant in new ways, including trying to determine if beneath its thick clouds, Jupiter has a solid core.
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