These atmospheric jets were captured by @NASAJuno on April 10, 2020. Notice small “pop-up” clouds that stand out at the tops and edges of the swirling patterns. Darker areas uncover profound depths. Photo Credit: NASA JPL
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun is the largest planet in the solar system. Its mass is more than twice of all the planets combined in the solar system. A gas giant of cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, floating in an atmosphere of helium and hydrogen.
The planet's iconic Great Red Spot is a giant storm raging for hundreds of year and that is bigger than Earth. Recently, NASA's Juno space probe has captured new images of the gas giant that looks like a modern art.
Fresh breathtaking images of Jupiter by Juno space probe
The newly released photos of Jupiter captures all its glory and looks like a stunning piece of art. NASA's space probe Juno was able to capture these breathtaking images as it is orbiting the behemoth in a bid to study more the gas giant and its turbulent atmosphere.
The spacecraft beamed back new and breathtaking photos of the planet that shows extraordinary, churning texture in Jupiter's northern mid-latitude region because of atmospheric jets.
The new images were so detailed that it exposes a complex topography in the gas giant's cloud tops. Some "pop-up" clouds can also be seen rising above the other features that are relatively small and bright. Darker areas nearby reveal greater depth, while the 'pop up' clouds can be seen standing out at the tops and edges of the swirling patterns.
These new super-high resolution close-up images of Jupiter are *astounding*!
NASA has revealed one example of the photos in recent days that was captured on April 10 by Juno, and processed by citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill. While traveling some 5,375 miles or 8.650 kilometers over the clouds of Jupiter and at a latitude of about 50 degrees North.
Juno space probe was traveling about 127,000 mph or 204,000 kilometers per hour when it captured the breathtaking image of the planet.
Juno space probe
The Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter's orbit on July 4, 2016 to learn more about the dense cover of clouds to answer questions about the gas giant and the origins of the solar system where our planet belongs.
Its primary goal is to uncover the story of the gas giant's formation and evolution using long-proven technologies on a spinning spacecraft placed in an elliptical polar orbit. Juno spacecraft will continue to observe Jupiter's gravity and magnetic fields, evolution, and atmospheric dynamics and composition.
Juno's space missions include the Deep Space Maneuvers in 2012, Earth flyby gravity assist in 2013, it's arrival and orbit insertion on July 4, 2016. NASA has approved an update to the space craft's operations until July 2021 to provide for an additional 41 months in orbit the Jupiter to achieve its primary science objectives.
Since there are some concerns about the valves on Juno's fuel system, the space craft is in 53-day orbits rather than the original plan of 14-day orbits. This means that it will take longer to collect the needed data.
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