Clouds Near Jupiters South Pole from Juno
Explanation:
What's happening near the south pole of Jupiter?
Recent images sent back by
NASA's robotic
Juno spacecraft are showing an interesting conglomeration
of swirling clouds and what appear to be
white ovals.
Juno arrived at Jupiter in July and is being placed into a wide,
looping orbit that will bring it near the gas giant -- and
over its poles -- about twice a month.
The
featured image is a
composite taken by
JunoCam and post-processed by a digitally savvy citizen scientist.
White ovals have been observed elsewhere on Jupiter and are thought to be giant
storm systems.
They have been observed to last for years, while typically showing
Category
5 wind speeds of around 350 kilometers per hour.
Unlike Earthly
cyclones and
hurricanes where
high winds circle regions of low pressure,
white ovals on Jupiter show rotational directions indicating that they are
anticylones -- vortices centered on high pressure regions.
Juno
will continue to
orbit Jupiter
over thirty more times while
recording optical, spectral,
and gravitational data meant to help
determine Jupiter's structure and evolution.
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.
