{"id":16300,"date":"2018-06-28T11:36:38","date_gmt":"2018-06-28T15:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16300"},"modified":"2018-06-28T11:39:15","modified_gmt":"2018-06-28T15:39:15","slug":"juno-the-chaotic-clouds-of-jupiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16300","title":{"rendered":"Juno: The chaotic clouds of Jupiter"},"content":{"rendered":"

These processed images of Jupiter<\/a> from the Juno probe<\/a> never get old. Here is a new one:<\/p>\n

Chaotic Clouds of Jupiter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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This image captures swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter\u2019s northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft took this color-enhanced image at 10:23 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (1:23 a.m. EDT on May 24), as the spacecraft performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, Juno was about 9,600 miles (15,500 kilometers) from the planet’s cloud tops, above a northern latitude of 56 degrees.<\/p>\n

The region seen here is somewhat chaotic and turbulent, given the various swirling cloud formations. In general, the darker cloud material is deeper in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere, while bright cloud material is high. The bright clouds are most likely ammonia or ammonia and water, mixed with a sprinkling of unknown chemical ingredients.<\/p>\n

A bright oval at bottom center stands out in the scene. This feature appears uniformly white in ground-based telescope observations. However, with JunoCam we can observe the fine-scale structure within this weather system, including additional structures within it. There is not significant motion apparent in the interior of this feature; like the Great Red Spot, its winds probably slows down greatly toward the center.<\/p>\n

Citizen scientists Gerald Eichst\u00e4dt and Se\u00e1n Doran created this image using data from the spacecraft\u2019s JunoCam imager.<\/p>\n

JunoCam’s raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at\u00a0www.missionjuno.swri.edu\/junocam<\/a><\/p>\n

More information about Juno is at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Image Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS\/Gerald Eichst\u00e4dt \/Se\u00e1n Doran<\/p>\n

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Dark and Stormy Jupiter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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This image captures the intensity of the jets and vortices in Jupiter\u2019s North North Temperate Belt.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft took this color-enhanced image at 10:31 p.m. PDT on May 23, 2018 (1:31 a.m. EDT on May 24), as Juno performed its 13th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, the spacecraft was about 4,900 miles (7,900 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of the gas giant planet at a northern latitude of about 41 degrees. The view is oriented with south on Jupiter toward upper left and north toward lower right.<\/p>\n

The North North Temperate Belt is the prominent reddish-orange band left of center. It rotates in the same direction as the planet and is predominantly cyclonic, which in the northern hemisphere means its features spin in a counter-clockwise direction. Within the belt are two gray-colored anticyclones.<\/p>\n

To the left of the belt is a brighter band (the North North Temperate Zone) with high clouds whose vertical relief is accentuated by the low angle of sunlight near the terminator. These clouds are likely made of ammonia-ice crystals, or possibly a combination of ammonia ice and water. Although the region as a whole appears chaotic, there is an alternating pattern of rotating, lighter-colored features on the zone’s north and south sides.<\/p>\n

Scientists think the large-scale dark regions are places where the clouds are deeper, based on infrared observations made at the same time by Juno\u2019s JIRAM experiment and Earth-based supporting observations. Those observations show warmer, and thus deeper, thermal emission from these regions.<\/p>\n

To the right of the bright zone, and farther north on the planet, Jupiter\u2019s striking banded structure becomes less evident and a region of individual cyclones can be seen, interspersed with smaller, darker anticyclones.<\/p>\n

Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill created this image using data from the spacecraft\u2019s JunoCam imager.<\/p>\n

JunoCam’s raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at:\u00a0www.missionjuno.swri.edu\/junocam<\/a><\/p>\n

More information about Juno is at:\u00a0https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0http:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu<\/a><\/p>\n

Image Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS\/Kevin M. Gill<\/p>\n

Image download options<\/a><\/p>\n

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