Vivid clouds swirl across Jupiter’s skies like colorful brushstrokes across a painting in a new photo from NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
The image, taken during the spacecraft’s 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, hones in on activity in the planet’s northern hemisphere. Juno was approximately 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops when it captured this new view, highlighting the planet’s persistent storms and colorful bands created by strong winds in its atmosphere.
“It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scientists as a folded filamentary region,” NASA officials said in a July 19 statement accompanying the photo. “In these regions, the zonal jets that create the familiar banded patterns in Jupiter’s clouds break down, leading to turbulent patterns and cloud structures that rapidly evolve over the course of only a few days.”
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
