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Jupiter’s Polar Cyclone Storms (Juno)

Tight view of Jupiter’s north pole shown in shades of dark red to bright white, featuring a large central cyclone encircled by eight cyclones.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured infrared images that astronomers combined to create this picture of Jupiter’s north pole, showing a central cyclone and the eight cyclones that encircle it. Data indicate that the storms are enduring features at the pole, with each circumpolar cyclone almost as wide as the distance between Naples, Italy and New York City in the United States. Wind speeds in the storms can reach 220 miles per hour (350 kilometers per hour). The colors in this composite represent radiant heat; the yellow (thinner) clouds are about 9 degrees Fahrenheit (–13° Celsius) and the dark red (thickest) are around –181 degrees Fahrenheit (-83° Celsius).

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    Juno: JIRAM
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    2 February 2017
  • 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.
    Cyclones on Jupiter
  • Release Date
    July 31, 2020
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Telescope Will Study Jupiter, its Rings, and Two Intriguing Moons
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, Caltech, SwRI, ASI, INAF, JIRAM

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 2362 × 2362
    tif (7.67 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 2362 × 2362
    png (6.16 MB)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, Caltech, SwRI, ASI, INAF, JIRAM

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