APOD: 2025 November 11 Б 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 was 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
(not pictured)
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 a looping 33-day orbit around Jupiter,
while Earth-orbiting Hubble is aging and now relies on a
single 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.
