During its 54th close flyby of Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft made a thrilling discovery that is sure to send shivers down your spine! Juno captured a stunning snapshot of the vast expanse of Jupiter’s northern region known as Jet N7. This eerie image reveals a landscape of turbulent clouds and storms along the planet’s terminator – the line that separates day and night on Jupiter. Under the soft glow of „moonlight,” this mysterious image offers an intriguing glimpse into the complex workings of Jupiter’s atmosphere. Well, to top things off, NASA’s Juno spacecraft made a spooky „face” on Jupiter just in time for Halloween!
A terrible surprise on Jupiter?
This is a phenomenon often observed by Juno, where clouds over Jupiter appear to conjure up images through pareidolia – the tendency of astronomers to perceive familiar patterns in random patterns. In this particular case, a strange face-like figure emerges from the clouds, adding an eerie element to the cosmic scenery.
Citizen scientist Vladimir Tarasov created this captivating image using raw data from Juno’s Juno Game instrument. At the time of capture, Juno was positioned about 4,800 miles (about 7,700 kilometers) from Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of approximately 69 degrees north.
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The mystery of lightning on Jupiter
In other space-related news, Juno achieved a remarkable feat by capturing Jupiter’s lightning flashes for posterity. Unlike Earth, where lightning originates from water clouds and is more abundant near the equator, Jupiter’s lightning originates primarily near the poles from clouds containing an ammonia-water mixture. It casts an otherworldly light on the planet’s enigmatic surface. The discovery improves our understanding of the celestial dynamics at play in this neighboring gas giant.
On December 30, 2020, during Juno’s 31st close approach to Jupiter, the spacecraft captured a mesmerizing sight: a spiral near the planet’s north pole, aglow with the glow of a lightning bolt. Citizen scientist Kevin Gill painstakingly processed the raw JunoCam data in 2022, resulting in a mesmerizing visual treat.
At about 78 degrees latitude, some 19,900 miles (32,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s stunning cloud layers, Juno descended into this awe-inspiring encounter, reminiscent of a cosmic witch plunging into her broomstick. I do not know.
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