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| Juno has been added to this image. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill © CC BY |
Yes, it’s that time again
people. Time to look at the latest processed images of Jupiter from NASA’s Juno
spacecraft and stare in awe at this magnificent gas giant. These latest images
were all taken on Jupiter’s most recent pass on December 16. This was known as
Perijove 10, as it was the spacecraft’s ninth science pass of the planet – and
10th pass overall.
Regular readers here will
be used to seeing images like this. Juno makes a pass of Jupiter every 53 days,
and when it does, it returns a batch of amazing pictures. These are processed
by citizen scientists into the glorious images you see below.One of those
citizen scientists is Seán Doran, a freelance visual artist from the UK who you
can find on Flickr and Twitter. He’s responsible for a lot of the best views we
get from Juno, although of course others play their part too.
“I use standard Photoshop
techniques to enhance the colors and detail already present in the source data
returned by Juno,” Doran told IFLScience.
He works his magic on the
images after fellow citizen scientist Gerald Eichstadt has processed the raw
images first, stitching them together to create full pictures.
That’s no mean feat, as
Juno is rotating twice per minute, so it can be complicated getting the shots
together.
“My current process is
ever changing, much like Jupiter itself, and I tailor the techniques used
depending on the content of the image,” said Doran.
No colors are added to the
images, instead, he isolates and exaggerates differences in the images to bring
out the colors that are already present. So what you’re seeing is not too far
removed from what the naked eye would see.
"I have been amazed
and impressed by the Juno images when I discovered them back in May 2017,"
said Doran. "It has been a great learning experience as well as a fun
social experience sharing what I do."
Juno has been in orbit
around Jupiter since July 2016.
The plan was to put it
into a lower orbit around the planet, meaning it would make more flybys. But a
valve failure meant NASA kept it in its current 53-day orbit. This sees it
swing down to a few thousand kilometers from the cloud tops, and then up to 3
million kilometers (2 million miles) away.
The next close pass of Juno
will take place in February 2018. You can be sure Doran and others will be
ready and waiting to show us the latest stunning views from the spacecraft. For
now, feast your eyes on these.
Image Credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald
Eichstädt/Marty McGuire © PUBLIC DOMAIN
Via IFLScience
WOW!
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