Radio Jupiter
Explanation:
This
view of gas
giant Jupiter,
made from data recorded at the
Very
Large Array radio observatory near Socorro, New Mexico,
may not look too familiar.
In fact, there is no sign of a bright, round planet striped with
cloud bands, sporting a
Great Red Spot.
Instead, the
radio
waves mapped in this false-color image
are produced by energetic electrons trapped within
Jupiter's intense
magnetic
field.
The radio emitting region extends far beyond Jupiter's cloud tops,
to over twice the visible radius of the planet,
and surrounds Jupiter like an oversized version of
Earth's
Van Allen radiation belt.
While it glows strongly at radio wavelengths, Jupiter's
radiation
belt is invisible in the more familiar
optical and
infrared views
which show the Jovian cloud tops and atmospheric features in
reflected sunlight.
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.
