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The Juno probe that studies Jupiter broke this image of the gas giant's clouds on October 29, 2018.
Credit: Gerald Eichstädt / Seán Doran / NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS
NASA has regained one of its favorite hobbies – observing a cloud from another world – thanks to the Juno spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter.
The Juno probe, which began orbiting our largest neighbor in July 2016, is loaded with scientific instruments designed to unravel some of the gas giant's biggest secrets. But he also wears a camera, one that is directed on the basis of public comment.
The community votes resulted in incredible photos like this, taken on October 29 at 4:58 pm. EDT (2158 GMT). At that time, the spacecraft was conducting its sixteenth edition over the surface of Jupiter, less than 7,000 kilometers from the top of Jupiter's cloud system. (Images are also processed by the community, not by NASA.)
A photo of the Jupiter atmosphere taken by the Juno spacecraft on September 6, 2018 shows a high pressure storm.
Credit: Kevin M. Gill / NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS
On TwitterNASA's reaction propulsion laboratory nicknamed the atmospheric display a dragon eye. The photo shows a region that scientists have dubbed the north-north temperate belt of Jupiter. The large white oval is a type of atmospheric node called the anticyclonic storm, which means that on the outer edge of the storm, the winds blow in a direction opposite to the surrounding air mass. Smaller cloud structures are also visible.
This is not the only anticyclonic storm on Jupiter; a photo taken on September 6 shows a similar structure in the southern hemisphere of the gas giant.
JunoCam also records great close-up shots as it moves away from Jupiter, as it broke on September 6, 2018.
Credit: Gerald Eichstädt / NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS
Earlier this year, NASA extended the Juno mission. The probe is expected to remain in orbit in the summer of 2021. However, this extension reflects the fact that the spacecraft was unable to move in a shorter orbit, but in a wider orbit this crushes Jupiter only the 53 days. The extension will allow the spacecraft to complete the same number of orbits as originally planned.
Email Meghan Bartels at [email protected] or follow her. @meghanbartels. follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Original article on Space.com.
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