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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
ESA,
Amy Simon (GSFC),
Michael Wong (UC Berkeley),
Glenn Orton (JPL-Caltech)
Explanation:
Two
remarkable global maps
of Jupiter's banded cloud tops
can be compared by just sliding your cursor
over this sharp projection
(or follow this link) of image data from the Hubble Space Telescope.
Both captured on January 19, during
back-to-back 10 hour rotations of the ruling gas giant, the
all-planet projections represent the first in
a series of planned annual portraits by the
Outer
Planet Atmospheres Legacy program.
Comparing the two highlights cloud movements and
measures wind speeds in the planet's
dynamic atmosphere.
In fact,
the Great Red Spot,
the famous long-lived
swirling storm boasting
300 mile per hour winds, is seen sporting a rotating, twisting filament.
The images confirm that Great Red Spot is
still
shrinking, though still larger than planet Earth.
Posing next to it (lower right)
is Oval BA, also known as
Red Spot Junior.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Jupiter
Publications with words: Jupiter
See also: