A new image captured by NASA’s Juno Jupiter explorer reveals features in the turbulent atmosphere of the solar system’s largest planet in the same colors a human observer would see them.
Juno(opens in new tab) took the image on July 5, 2022, during its 43rd close flyby of Jupiter(opens in new tab) using its JunoCam instrument. The spacecraft was at a distance of 3,300 miles (5,300 kilometers) from the tops of the gas giant(opens in new tab)’s clouds when the image was taken, zipping by at 130,000 mph (209,000 kph).
Citizen scientist Björn Jónsson processed the raw data from Juno to create two images. The image on the left hand side shows the view as it would appear to a human observer in Juno’s position. In the image on the right, Jónsson digitally enhanced color saturation and contrast, allowing the intricate structure of the planet’s atmosphere to come to the fore.
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