We’ve had quite a few huge storms here on Earth in recent months, and they’ve done some serious damage, but they’re nothing compared to what’s brewing on Jupiter. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which is cruising around the planet and taking in all of the sights, just delivered a photo of one of the planet’s colossal storms that looks more like a painting than a photo, but it’s very, very real.
The photo, which was taken
late last month, showcases a gigantic swirling storm that is still raging in
Jupiter’s northern hemisphere. The planet’s iconic weather systems have long
mesmerized astronomers, and while they might be neat to enjoy from a distance, you
most certainly wouldn’t want to be in their midst.
“The storm is rotating
counter-clockwise with a wide range of cloud altitudes,” NASA explains. “The
darker clouds are expected to be deeper in the atmosphere than the brightest
clouds. Within some of the bright ‘arms’ of this storm, smaller clouds and
banks of clouds can be seen, some of which are casting shadows to the right
side of this picture (sunlight is coming from the left).”
The brighter clouds are many
miles across, and the intensity of the winds and debris that is kicked up by
them makes them look like milk swirling in a cup of coffee.
The image was color-enhanced
to help out as much detail as possible, but NASA publishes all of its raw
imagery on its Juno portal for amateur astronomers and hobbyists to enjoy
whenever they want.
The Juno spacecraft has only
been orbiting Jupiter for around a year and a half, entering its orbit in the
middle of 2016 after five years of flight time to the planet.
It is only slated to conduct
its science mission for a little while longer, and will rely on NASA to swing
additional funding if it is to continue being used as a scientific tool. When
it’s time eventually runs out, NASA will sent it into Jupiter’s atmosphere
where it will be destroyed, much like the Cassini spacecraft’s final act on
Saturn.
Juno has already provided
some great looks at the mighty king of planets in its relatively short stint in
orbit, so let’s all hope it has proven its worth and can continue to do so for
a while longer.