APOD: Cloud Swirls around Southern Jupiter... (2017 Feb 13)

[APOD Robot]

Cloud Swirls around Southern Jupiter from Juno

Explanation: Juno just completed its fourth pass near Jupiter. Launched from Earth in 2011 and arriving at Jupiter just last July, robotic Juno concluded its latest elliptical orbit around our Solar System's largest planet 11 days ago. Pictured here from that pass is a new high-resolution image of the southern hemisphere of Jupiter featuring a mesmerizing tapestry of swirling cloud systems. The terminator between day and night cuts diagonally across the bottom, meaning that the Sun is positioned off the top right. Large Oval BA is visible in orange on the far right. Reasons for the details and colors of Jupiter's cloud swirls are currently unknown. Juno planned six year mission will study Jovian giant in new ways, including trying to determine if beneath its thick clouds, Jupiter has a solid core.

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[Boomer12k]

They look a bit like Earth Hurricanes... I wonder if that is what they are... Jovian Hurricanes?

:---[===] *

[ygmarchi]

Juno let us appreciate a different, unexpected Jupiter.

[ta152h0]

imagine being inside a boiling water pot

[Alex_jrpp]

Are the colors processed in this image or do they correspond to what a human eye would see at that distance from Jupiter ?

[geckzilla]

Are the colors processed in this image or do they correspond to what a human eye would see at that distance from Jupiter ?

It's not an either-or thing. The images are always processed, whether they're done to imitate human vision or not. Your eyes wouldn't see nearly this much detail in the clouds. The contrast has been increased quite a bit.

[HellCat]

Last line doesn't quite make sense. Someone needs an editor!

[sunson]

what is the scale of earth in this picture?

[rstevenson]

what is the scale of earth in this picture?

Well, the diameter of Jupiter is almost exactly 11 times the diameter of the Earth, so... try to picture the Earth in that image -- sort of like this...

Rob

[Jim Leff]

1. Four orbits in seven months? Is that entirely because of Jupiter's huge size, or is it also orbiting slowly?

2. Jupiter may have a solid core? Wuhhh? We'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks if that turned out to be true (Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility yet, sticking entirely with the classical line about "gas giant").

[Chris Peterson]

1. Four orbits in seven months? Is that entirely because of Jupiter's huge size, or is it also orbiting slowly?

It's because the orbit is extremely eccentric. Per Kepler, the orbital speed is slow when the craft is far from Jupiter, and very fast when it's close.

2. Jupiter may have a solid core? Wuhhh? We'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks if that turned out to be true (Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility yet, sticking entirely with the classical line about "gas giant").

Textbooks have been suggesting a solid core for decades. Such a core has long been suspected, and the Wikipedia page also shows the core to be solid. "Gas giant" doesn't exclude a solid core!

[Steve Dutch]

These are synoptic-scale weather patterns, equivalent to a view from a geostationary weather satellite around earth. I hope we get some close up views to tell us the cloud structures themselves (cumulus, stratiform, cirrus, or something new).

[BDanielMayfield]

Juno ... will study Jovian giant in new ways, including trying to determine if beneath its thick clouds, Jupiter has a solid core.

2. Jupiter may have a solid core? Wuhhh? We'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks if that turned out to be true (Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility yet, sticking entirely with the classical line about "gas giant").

Textbooks have been suggesting a solid core for decades. Such a core has long been suspected, and the Wikipedia page also shows the core to be solid. "Gas giant" doesn't exclude a solid core!

I found that last line in the Explanation strange for the opposite reason Jeff. Since Jupiter was formed out of same cloud of gas and dust as the sun and the rest of our solar system, how in this universe could it not have a solid core?

[Chris Peterson]

Juno ... will study Jovian giant in new ways, including trying to determine if beneath its thick clouds, Jupiter has a solid core.

2. Jupiter may have a solid core? Wuhhh? We'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks if that turned out to be true (Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility yet, sticking entirely with the classical line about "gas giant").

Textbooks have been suggesting a solid core for decades. Such a core has long been suspected, and the Wikipedia page also shows the core to be solid. "Gas giant" doesn't exclude a solid core!

I found that last line in the Explanation strange for the opposite reason Jeff. Since Jupiter was formed out of same cloud of gas and dust as the sun and the rest of our solar system, how in this universe could it not have a solid core?

The problem is that we don't really have a clear understanding about the states of matter at the extreme pressure present in the center of Jupiter. It is possible that the heavy elements that sunk to the center of the planet may simply not exist in a solid state under those conditions. (But most people think they probably do, although it's very possible the core could be a fluid solid, such as the interior of much of the Earth.)

[De58te]

"Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility of a solid core yet."

Did you actually read the Jupiter article in Wikipedia?
Read first paragraph under the section "Internal Structure"
Even the illustration of the internal structure has this caption, Quote; "This cut-away illustrates a model of the interior of Jupiter, with a rocky core overlaid by a deep layer of liquid metallic hydrogen."

[blucat]

2. Jupiter may have a solid core? Wuhhh? We'd have to rewrite a lot of textbooks if that turned out to be true (Wikipedia doesn't even raise the possibility yet, sticking entirely with the classical line about "gas giant").

Textbooks have been suggesting a solid core for decades. Such a core has long been suspected, and the Wikipedia page also shows the core to be solid. "Gas giant" doesn't exclude a solid core![/quote]

Yay! I didn't know that anyone considered Jupiter to have a solid core. (yes, I am a hermit.) I have considered this a given, obvious, but never said anything because I'm sick of being flamed. Thanks Chris. No doubt about it!!