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The Hubble Space Telescope’s newest image of
Jupiter, taken June 27 as part of the Outer Planet
Atmospheres Legacy program, highlights the solar
system’s largest planet in stunning color. Readily
visible is the planet’s Great Red Spot, a swirling
storm roughly the size of Earth, which has been
visible on the giant planet for at least 150 years.
Repeated observations have shown that the
tempest is shrinking slowly over time. Hubble’s
snapshot also shows other storms, including a
thin, brown, snakelike cyclone and two white oval-
shaped storms below the Great Red Spot. Driven
by high winds, Jupiter’s colorful bands of clouds
give the planet its distinct striped appearance.
These bands consist of ammonia clouds at varying
heights and thicknesses, which appear lighter or
darker depending on their properties. This latest
portrait will help astronomers better characterize
conditions on Jupiter, while also providing clues
about the environment on giant planets around
other stars. — A.K.
Jupiter’s new portrait
NASA,^ E
SA,^ A.^ S
IM
ON
(GODDARDSPACE^ FLIGHTCENTER),^ ANDM
.H.
WONG^ (UNIV
ERSITY^ OF^ CALIFORNIA
,^ B
ERKELEY)