NASA Released 30 Stunning High-Resolution Images of Jupiter, the Largest Planet in Our Solar System – Part 1

With many challenging events happening on Earth, taking a moment to appreciate the wonders of the cosmos can provide a welcome distraction. NASA continues to explore outer space and share its findings with us. Recently, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration released new images of Jupiter, showcasing the stormy southern hemisphere of the planet, which is about 484 million miles away from us. Here’s a collection of fascinating photos taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which has been observing Jupiter since its first close flyby in 2016:

1.

Jupiter’s Atmosphere: NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced image of Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere from just over one Earth diameter away.

2.

North Temperate Belt: This image shows the swirling clouds in Jupiter’s North Temperate Belt, including bright white “pop-up” clouds and an anticyclonic storm known as a white oval.

3.

South Pole Cloud Formations: This view shows the swirling cloud formations around Jupiter’s south pole, looking toward the equatorial region.

4.

Blue Clouds: A striking new view from Juno displays Jupiter’s clouds in vivid shades of blue.

5.

Northern Hemisphere Storms: During its 24th close flyby, Juno captured a chaotic stormy area in Jupiter’s northern hemisphere called a folded filamentary region. The data reveals that some of Jupiter’s winds are deeper and more persistent than similar atmospheric processes on Earth.

6.

Shadow of Io: This dramatic image shows Jupiter’s volcanically active moon Io casting its shadow on the planet. The shadowing creates an effect similar to a solar eclipse as Io moves across the Sun’s light.

7.

Northern Regions: On February 17, 2020, Juno took this image of Jupiter’s northern regions during a close approach.

8.

Great Red Spot: Juno captured this view of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and the turbulent southern hemisphere during a close flyby.

9.

Southern Hemisphere: An image from December 21, 2018, shows Jupiter’s turbulent southern hemisphere, taken during Juno’s recent close flyby.

10.

Equatorial Clouds: Thick white clouds in this JunoCam image of Jupiter’s equatorial zone complicate the interpretation of water measurements. However, Juno’s Microwave Radiometer can measure water deep into the atmosphere, as the clouds are transparent at microwave frequencies. This image was acquired on December 16, 2017.