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Explanation: The New Horizons spacecraft took some stunning images of Jupiter earlier this year while on the way out to Pluto. Famous for its Great Red Spot, Jupiter is also known for its regular, equatorial cloud bands, visible through even modest sized telescopes. The above image was taken near Jupiter's terminator, and shows that the Jovian giant possibly has the widest diversity of cloud patterns in our Solar System. On the far left are clouds closest to Jupiter's south pole. Here turbulent whirlpools and swirls are seen in a dark region, dubbed a belt, that rings the planet. Even light colored regions, called zones, show tremendous structure, complete with complex wave patterns. The energy that drives these waves likely comes from below. New Horizons is the fastest space probe ever launched, and is zipping through the Solar System on track to reach Pluto in 2015.
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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 - clouds
Publications with words: Jupiter - clouds
See also:
- APOD: 2023 August 20 Á A Roll Cloud Over Wisconsin
- APOD: 2023 June 25 Á Lightning on Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 June 13 Á Moons Across Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 May 24 Á Observatory Aligned with Moon Occulting Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 May 23 Á Jupiters Swirls from Juno
- APOD: 2023 March 15 Á Jupiter and Venus Converge over Germany
- APOD: 2023 March 6 Á Jupiter and Venus from Earth