Tumultuous Clouds of Jupiter
Explanation:
Some cloud patterns on Jupiter are quite complex.
The featured
tumultuous clouds
were captured in May by NASA's robotic
Juno spacecraft currently orbiting
our Solar System's largest planet.
The image was taken when Juno was only about 15,000 kilometers over
Jupiter's cloud tops, so close that less than half of the
giant planet is visible.
The rough white clouds on the far right are
high altitude clouds known as pop-up clouds.
Juno's mission, now extended into 2021, is to study
Jupiter in new ways.
Among many other things, Juno has been measuring Jupiter's gravitational field, finding
surprising evidence that Jupiter may be mostly a liquid.
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.
