The Magnificence of Jupiter, Captured by Juno

by Andrew Moseman

During its 61st close flyby of Jupiter on May 12, 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this color-enhanced view of the giant planet's northern hemisphere. It provides a detailed view of chaotic clouds and cyclonic storms in an area known to scienti

This view of Jupiter was captured by the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft during the mission's 62nd close flyby of the giant planet on June 13, 2024. Citizen scientist Jackie Branc made the image using raw JunoCam data. Image data:

On March 1, 2023, NASA's Juno mission completed its 49th close flyby of Jupiter. As the spacecraft flew low over the giant planet's cloud tops, its JunoCam instrument captured this look at bands of high-altitude haze forming above cyclones in an are

Winds around Jupiter's Great Red Spot are simulated in this JunoCam view that has been animated using a model of the winds there. The wind model, called a velocity field, was derived from data collected by NASA's Voyager spacecraft and Earth-based t

Jupiter's northernmost cyclone, perched near the gas giant's north pole, is visible to the right along the bottom edge of this image, which was taken Sept. 29, 2022, by the JunoCam public engagement camera aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. Jupiter has

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this view of Jupiter during the mission's 54th close flyby of the giant planet on Sept. 7, 2023. The colorful zones and belts in Jupiter's atmosphere run from the cloud tops down to approximately 1,860 miles (3,000 ki

Citizen scientist Thomas Thomopoulos created this enhanced-color image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument. At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 44,000 miles (71,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a l

This image shows Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by NASA’s Juno spacecraft from an altitude of 32,000 miles (52,000 kilometers). The oval features are cyclones, up to 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) in diameter. Multiple images taken with the JunoCam ins

This look at the complex surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede came from NASA's Juno mission during a close pass by the giant moon in June 2021. At closest approach, the spacecraft came within just 650 miles (1,046 kilometers) of Ganymede's surface. Mo

This view from NASA's Juno spacecraft captures colorful, intricate patterns in a jet stream region of Jupiter's northern hemisphere known as "Jet N3." Jupiter's cloud tops do not form a simple, flat surface. Data from Juno helped scientists discover

The marvels of Jupiter, such as its Great Red Spot and fantastic moons, had been revealed by telescope observations and previous missions. But Juno has shown us the solar system’s largest world in unprecedented detail.

Led by JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA, Juno launched in 2011 and reached Jupiter in 2016. Its growing gallery of imagery captures swirling vortices on the gas giant’s surface and new views of its satellites, including the volcanic Io and massive Ganymede.

NASA had planned to end the Juno mission after 32 orbits of the great planet by plunging the spacecraft into the Jovian atmosphere. However, Juno’s mission has been extended to September 2025, meaning we’ll get to spend much of the new year being treated to more planetary science — and gorgeous pictures.

More StoriesAndrew MosemanDecember 19, 2024astronomy, planets