Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble
Explanation:
Jupiter looks a bit different in ultraviolet light.
To better interpret
Jupiter's cloud motions and to help NASA's robotic
Juno spacecraft understand the
planetary context of the small fields that it sees, the
Hubble Space Telescope is being directed to
regularly image the entire Jovian giant.
The colors of Jupiter
being monitored go beyond the normal human visual range to include both
ultraviolet and
infrared light.
Featured from 2017, Jupiter appears different in near ultraviolet light, partly
because the amount of sunlight reflected back is distinct, giving differing cloud
heights and latitudes
discrepant
brightnesses.
In the
near UV, Jupiter's poles appear relatively dark, as does its
Great Red Spot and a smaller (optically)
white oval to the right.
The String of Pearl storms farther to the right, however, are brightest in near
ultraviolet, and so here appear (false-color) pink.
Jupiter's largest moon
Ganymede appears on the upper left.
Juno continues on its looping 53-day orbits around Jupiter, while Earth-orbiting
Hubble
is now recovering from the loss of a
stabilizing gyroscope.
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.
