Jupiter Rotates

Explanation: Observe the graceful twirl of our Solar System's largest planet. Many interesting features of Jupiter's enigmatic atmosphere , including dark belts and light zones , can be followed in detail. A careful inspection will reveal that different cloud layers rotate at slightly different speeds . The famous Great Red Spot is not visible at first -- but soon rotates into view. Other smaller storm systems occasionally appear. As large as Jupiter is, it rotates in only 10 hours. Our small Earth , by comparison, takes 24 hours to complete a spin cycle . The featured high-resolution time-lapse video was captured over five nights earlier this month by a mid-sized telescope on an apartment balcony in Paris , France . Since hydrogen and helium gas are colorless, and those elements compose most of Jupiter's expansive atmosphere , what trace elements create the observed colors of Jupiter's clouds remains a topic of research.

Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD