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Compass and Scale Image for Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Ganymede’s Shadow

Compass and Scale Image for Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow

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 km).
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Jupiter has a diameter of roughly 88,789 miles (142,984 km) 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 image was created from Hubble data from 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>WFPC3/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.
    395nm, 502nm, and 631nm
  • 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
    October 28, 2014
  • Science Release
    Here’s Looking At You: Spooky Shadow Play Gives Jupiter a Giant Eye
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI)

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Compass and Scale Image for Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

Blue: 395nm Green: 502nm Red: 631nm

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow

Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow

Hubble treats astronomers to gorgeous close-up views of the eerie outer planets. But it's a bit of a trick when it seems like the planet's looking back at you! This happened on April 21, 2014, when Hubble was being used to monitor changes in Jupiter's immense Great Red Spot...

Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow (Full-Disk, Color)

Jupiter's Great Red Spot and Ganymede's Shadow (Full-Disk, Color)

Hubble treats astronomers to gorgeous close-up views of the eerie outer planets. But it's a bit of a trick when it seems like the planet's looking back at you! This happened on April 21, 2014, when Hubble was being used to monitor changes in Jupiter's immense Great Red Spot...

Full-Disk Jupiter (WFPC3/UVIS, April 21, 2014)

Full-Disk Jupiter (WFPC3/UVIS, April 21, 2014)

Hubble treats astronomers to gorgeous close-up views of the eerie outer planets. But it's a bit of a trick when it seems like the planet's looking back at you! This happened on April 21, 2014, when Hubble was being used to monitor changes in Jupiter's immense Great Red Spot...

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

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