Jupiter’s complex swirling colours captured by NASA
The complex colours and structure of Jupiter’s surface were recently captured by the NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
The striking image showed swirls of turquoise, milky white, deep ochre and dark blue covering the planet’s surface in a mesmerising manner.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in a press release said, the Juno probe snapped the picture on July 5th during its 43rd close flyby of Jupiter.
The spacecraft was at a distance of 5,300 kilometres from the tops of the gas giant’s clouds when the image was taken.
Jupiter’s complex swirling colours captured by NASA
“Citizen scientist Bjorn Jonsson created these two images using raw data from the JunoCam instrument aboard the spacecraft,” NASA said.
Juno was launched in 2011 and has been exploring the gas giant since 2016. Circling the planet in a highly elliptical orbit, the probe completes one lap every 43 days.
Earlier this year, Juno reached its point of closest approach to Jupiter, getting just over 3,300 kilometres above the planet’s cloud tops.
The spacecraft was originally scheduled to retire in 2021, but now Juno will continue its work until at least 2025.
Shallow lightning, clouds of ammonia and water, and a hail of “mushballs” – my instruments are revealing more about Jupiter’s stormy interior: https://t.co/36PAy6a5mJ pic.twitter.com/E52DLT5lBp
— NASA's Juno Mission (@NASAJuno) August 5, 2020
