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Credit & Copyright: Andrew McCarthy
Explanation:
At
opposition,
opposite the Sun in Earth's sky,
late last month Jupiter is also approaching perihelion,
the closest point to the Sun in its elliptical orbit,
early next year.
That makes
Jupiter
exceptionally close
to our fair planet,
currently resulting in excellent views of the
Solar System's ruling gas giant.
On September 27, this
sharp image of Jupiter
was recorded with a small telescope from a backyard in Florence, Arizona.
The stacked video frames reveal the massive world
bounded by
planet girdling winds.
Dark belts and light zones span the gas giant, along with rotating
oval storms and its signature
Great Red Spot.
Galilean moon Ganymede is below and right in the frame.
The
Solar
System's largest moon
and its shadow are in transit across the southern
Jovian cloud tops.
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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 - Ganymede
Publications with words: Jupiter - Ganymede
See also: