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| Stunning View of Jupiter's Chaotic Clouds Captured by NASA's Juno Spacecraft: Highlights of the Planet's Persistent Storms and Colorful Bands Image credit: Space.com |
A new photo from NASA's Juno spacecraft reveals vivid, swirling clouds across Jupiter's skies, resembling colorful brushstrokes on a painting. Taken during Juno's 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, the image focuses on the planet's northern hemisphere, showcasing persistent storms and colorful bands created by strong atmospheric winds.
Captured by the JunoCam instrument, a visible-light camera, the raw image data was processed by citizen scientist Gary Eason. Eason's digital techniques enhanced the color and clarity of the chaotic clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere, providing a detailed view of cyclonic storms in a region known as the folded filamentary region.
"This image provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region," NASA officials said in a July 19 statement. "In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter's clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few days."
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| chaotic clouds in Jupiter's atmosphere Image credit: NASA |
Located about 68 degrees north of Jupiter's equator, the folded filamentary region features billowing white clouds formed by convective outbursts. These clouds quickly transform into thinner, elongated filamentary structures, typical of the turbulent and variable regions near Jupiter's poles. Powerful jet streams, partly driven by the planet's rapid rotation, contribute to this turbulence.
Juno captured this view from approximately 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops. The spacecraft's raw images are publicly available for processing, allowing citizen scientists to create stunning views of the gas giant.
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