One of the most iconic highlights of Jupiter is its Great Red Spot. An enormous storm that has been roaring in the gas giant’s atmosphere for a hundred years, it has a size bigger than our own planet Earth and is visible even through the lens of an amateur telescope. But regardless the fame and size of the Great Red Spot, it remains to be a mystery that continues to attract planetologists.
On July 10, NASA’s Juno probe has delivered the best photographs of the planet’s giant storm, after its latest near flyby of the largest planet in our solar system.
The photos captured by the probe are absolutely beautiful. As it flew over the Great Red Spot, the attached imaging camera, JunoCam, took many apple core-shaped images of the spot in optical light.
However, taking beautiful photos were not the probe’s sole objective; its 8 extra instruments also registered some data during the flyby. By combining different sets of data, planetologists can make a more comprehensive model of the Jupiter’s giant storm.
The flyby that occurred last July 10 was the 7th close approach of Juno to Jupiter; Overall, the probe will revolve around the giant planet for thirty-seven times, with the nearest approach taking it around 2,200 m of the cloud tops.
Juno’s mission will conclude in the near 2018, where Juno will dive into the atmosphere of Jupiter, similar to the Cassini space mission now orbiting Saturn.
You can check out JunoCam’s official website to see more images taken by the probe.
