1 min read
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot
These images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot were made using data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory on April 1, 2018. By combining observations captured at almost the same time from the two different observatories, astronomers were able to determine that dark features on the Great Red Spot are holes in the clouds rather than masses of dark material.
Upper left (wide view) and lower left (detail): The Hubble image of sunlight (visible wavelengths) reflecting off clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere shows dark features within the Great Red Spot.
Upper right: A thermal infrared image of the same area from Gemini shows heat emitted as infrared energy. Cool overlying clouds appear as dark regions, but clearings in the clouds allow bright infrared emission to escape from warmer layers below.
Lower middle: An ultraviolet image from Hubble shows sunlight scattered back from the hazes over the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot appears red in visible light because these hazes absorb blue wavelengths. The Hubble data show that the hazes continue to absorb even at shorter ultraviolet wavelengths.
Lower right: A multiwavelength composite of Hubble and Gemini data shows visible light in blue and thermal infrared in red. The combined observations show that areas that are bright in infrared are clearings or places where there is less cloud cover blocking heat from the interior.
The Hubble and Gemini observations were made to provide a wide-view context for Juno’s 12th pass (Perijove 12).
About the Object
- DistanceDistanceThe 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.At the time of observation, Jupiter was 4.62 AU (429 million miles or 691 million kilometers) from Earth. The semi-major axis of Jupiter's orbit about the Sun is 5.2 astronomical units (483 million miles or 778 million km).
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData 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 14661 M. Wong Gemini Image: April 1, 2018; 4.7 µm - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.WFC3/UVIS
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.Apr 1, 2018
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F395N, F502N, F631N; F225N, F275N, F343N
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Jupiter's Great Red Spot
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.Multiwavelength views of Jupiter's Great Red Spot
- Release DateMay 7, 2020
- Science ReleaseTelescopes and Spacecraft Join Forces to Probe Deep into Jupiter’s Atmosphere
- Credit
These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample narrow wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In the top left image, the assigned colors are: Blue: F395N (395 nm); Green: F502N (502 nm); and Red: F631N (631 nm). In the bottom middle panel, the UV colors assigned are Blue F225N (225 nm); Green F275N (275 nm); Red F343N (343 nm).
Related Images & Videos
Jupiter (May 19, 2017)
This natural-color (visible light) image of Jupiter was captured by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 on May 19, 2017. This image was taken to coincide with the Juno spacecraft's sixth flyby of Jupiter (Perijove 6, or PJ 6). Wide-field imagery is used to provide context for Juno's...
Probing Storm Systems on Jupiter
This graphic shows observations and interpretations of cloud structures and atmospheric circulation on Jupiter from the Juno spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Gemini Observatory. By combining the Juno, Hubble, and Gemini data, researchers are able to see that...
Probing Storm Systems on Jupiter (Graphic)
This illustration of lightning, convective towers (thunderheads), deep water clouds, and clearings in Jupiter's atmosphere is based on data collected by the Juno spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Gemini Observatory. Juno detects radio signals generated by lightning...
Share
Details
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
