Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/ Seán Doran

Just look at this incredibly detailed photo of Jupiter’s clouds as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. It’s an otherworldly distraction to keep our minds off all the crap that’s happening here on Earth, at least for a little while.


Juno snapped this photo on October 27th when it was just 11,747 miles (18,906 km) from the tops of Jupiter’s clouds. The scale of this image is 7.75 miles for each pixel, or about 12 km/pixel.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/ Seán Doran


The stunning blue, grey, and white swirls look like drops of oil in a puddle of water, showcasing the complexity of Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere. Juno captured this image at just the right time when the gas giant’s high altitude clouds were casting a shadow on their surroundings.



Zoomed in view of a particularly striking atmospheric feature. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/ Seán Doran)

This particular region of Jupiter is in the northern hemisphere. Juno was nearly three-fifths of the way from Jupiter’s equator to its north pole, and conducting its ninth close flyby, when the photo was taken.



Before you move on to the next article, take a few moments to enjoy this remarkable view of the Solar System’s largest planet. Good things like this seem scarce these days—and who knows what horror the next click of your mouse might bring.


[NASA]