Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Jupiter WFC3/UVIS

The planet Jupiter. A planet covered in horizontal bands of swirling clouds.
This visible-light image of Jupiter was taken with the Wide Field Camera 3 aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on April 21, 2014.

About the Object

  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    The semi-major axis of Jupiter's orbit about the sun is 5.2 astronomical units (483 million miles or 778 million kilometers).
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    The planet has a diameter of roughly 88,789 miles (142,984 kilometers) at the equator.

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    The data are from HST proposal 13631 PI: A. Simon (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), G. Orton (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory), J. Rogers (University of Cambridge, UK), and M. Wong and I. de Pater (University of California, Berkeley)
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>WFC3/UVIS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    April 21, 2014
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    F395N (395 nm), F502N (502 nm), and F631N (631 nm)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Jupiter
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Planet
  • Release Date
    June 30, 2016
  • Science Release
    Hubble Captures Vivid Auroras in Jupiter’s Atmosphere
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (NASA/GSFC)

Downloads

  • 1000 × 1000
    jpg (171.04 KB)
  • 1000 × 1000
    jpg (414.35 KB)
  • 1000 × 1000
    tif (840.16 KB)
  • PDF
    (1.4 MB)
  • 1000 × 1000
    (388.76 KB)
  • 200 × 200
    (19.87 KB)
  • 400 × 400
    (49.7 KB)
  • 1000 × 1000
    (173.45 KB)
The planet Jupiter. A planet covered in horizontal bands of swirling clouds.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

This image is a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3/UVIS instrument. Several filters were used to sample various wavelengths. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: WFC3/UVIS F395N (395 nm) Green: WFC3/UVIS F502N (502 nm) Red: WFC3/UVIS F631N (631 nm)

Related Images & Videos

Framed image of the planet Jupiter, a sphere with horizontal stripes of brown, tan, orange, beige, light blue, and white against a solid black background.

Auroras on Jupiter

Astronomers are using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to study auroras – stunning light shows in a planet's atmosphere – on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. The auroras were photographed during a series of Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph...

Image titled “Jupiter Aurora, HST STIS + WFC3/UVIS” with scale bar and color key.

Scale and Compass Image for Jupiter Aurora

Hubble Time-lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (May 19, 2016)

Hubble Time-Lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (May 19, 2016)

This time-lapse video of the vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere was created using far-ultraviolet-light observations made on May 19, 2016, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is particularly suited to observing and...

Hubble Time-lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (June 2, 2016)

Hubble Time-Lapse of Aurora on Jupiter (June 2, 2016)

This time-lapse video of the vivid auroras in Jupiter's atmosphere was created using far-ultraviolet-light observations made on June 2, 2016, with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph aboard NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble is particularly suited to observing and...

Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 1)

Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 1)

This composite video illustrates the auroras on Jupiter relative to their position on the giant planet. As on Earth, auroras are produced by the interaction of a planet's magnetic field with its atmosphere. The Jupiter auroras observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are some...

Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 2)

Hubble Tracks Bright Auroras on Jupiter (Composite Video Sequence 2)

This composite video illustrates the auroras on Jupiter relative to their position on the giant planet. As on Earth, auroras are produced by the interaction of a planet's magnetic field with its atmosphere. The Jupiter auroras observed by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope are some...

Share

Details

Last Updated
Feb 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News