Jupiter, Io, and Shadow
Explanation:
Just as planets orbit our Sun,
Jupiter's Moons orbit Jupiter.
Pictured above is the closest of
Jupiter's Galilean Satellites,
Io, superposed in front of the giant planet it circles.
To the left of
Io is a dark spot that is its own shadow.
The tremendous complexities that can be seen in
Jupiter's banded, swirling atmosphere
are being studied and may provide insight as to how
Earth's atmosphere behaves.
The
above true-color contrast-enhanced image was
taken two weeks ago by the
robot spacecraft Cassini, currently passing
Jupiter and on its way to
Saturn in 2004.
Engineers
continue to study the
Cassini spacecraft itself to understand why it
required more force than normal to turn one of its maneuvering wheels.
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.
