APOD: 2025 May 25 Б Beneath Jupiter
Explanation:
Jupiter is stranger than we knew.
NASA's Juno spacecraft
has now completed over 70 swoops past
Jupiter
as it moves around its highly
elliptical orbit.
Pictured from 2017,
Jupiter is seen
from below where, surprisingly, the horizontal
bands that cover most of the planet disappear into
swirls and complex patterns.
A line of
white oval clouds is visible nearer to the equator.
Impressive results from
Juno
show that
Jupiter's
weather phenomena can extend deep below its cloud tops,
that Jupiter's center has a core that is
unexpectedly large and soft,
and that
Jupiter's magnetic field
varies greatly with location.
Although
Juno
is scheduled to keep orbiting Jupiter further
into 2025, at some time the robotic spacecraft will be
maneuvered to plunge into the giant planet.
Jigsaw Jumble:
Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
