Storm Clouds Over Jupiter
Explanation:
Storm clouds, similar to the familiar
cumulonimbus
thunderheads of Earth,
appear to be present on Jupiter.
The mosaic of images above shows the region
near the raging edge of
Jupiter's Great Red Spot,
itself some 2 to 3 Earths
wide, as observed by the Galileo spacecraft in June of this year.
The false
colors represent altitude.
Low altitude clouds are blue,
high, thick clouds are white and high, thin clouds are pink,
with the
box at the upper right containing the high cloud features likened to
the storm clouds of Earth.
Scientists speculate that these features
are evidence for an abundance of water in at least
some regions of Jupiter's atmosphere.
On Earth,
atmospheric water vapor
plays an important role in driving winds -
this could well be true on Jupiter,
where winds reach up to 300 miles per hour.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
