APOD: Jupiter Rotation Movie from Pic du Midi (2011 Dec 06)

[APOD Robot]

Jupiter Rotation Movie from Pic du Midi

Explanation: Observe the graceful twirl of the Solar System's largest planet. Many interesting features of Jupiter's enigmatic atmosphere, including dark bands and light zones, can be followed in detail. A careful inspection will reveal that central clouds rotate slightly faster than clouds toward the poles. The famous Great Red Spot is visible at first but soon rotates out of view, only to return near the movie's end. Other smaller storm systems ocassionally appear. As large as Jupiter is, it rotates in only 10 hours. Our small Earth, by comparison, takes 24 hours to complete a spin cycle. The above high-resolution time-lapse movie was captured over the past year by the one-meter Telescope at the Pic du Midi Observatory in the French Pyrenees. Since hydrogen and helium gas are colorless, and those elements compose most of Jupiter's expansive atmosphere, what trace elements create the observed colors of Jupiter's clouds remains unknown.

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[Beyond]

It's always nice to see a Big ball of gas spin around and keep it's shape so nicely. Also, the spin-cycle object looks quite soggy and rather perturbed.

[SJoe]

I could watch a loop of that for a very long time.

[Eamonn Shute]

I couldn't get it to play. I have had problems with Vimeo in the past - usually it is jerky, but now it won't play at all!

[adklib]

I could watch a loop of that for a very long time.

Me too.

[orin stepanek]

I see there are a lot of reddish brown spots in the upper dark belt.
Aww--someone doesn't look too happy!

Click to view full size image

[geckzilla]

I approve of the APOD editors' affinity for kitties in the explanation.

[zloq]

OK - this is a nice view of Jupiter - but I do not think this is an actual view of it rotating over time. It appears to be a static map of surface detail acquired over several days of imaging that was then mapped onto Jupiter's shape and rendered in a rotating animation. There are at least two seams evident during the "rotation." It is still a very good result - as are other planetary works I have seen by the same people using the same equipment at the same observatory - but I don't think it should be presented as an actual time lapse animation of Jupiter rotating. It's particularly unfortunate since the caption implies you can see differential rotation of the clouds. I don't think they are "moving" at all and it is instead just rigid rotation of a texture-mapped grapefruit shape, with a lighting model to simulate limb-darkening.

Here is a related video that describes Jupiter's "map" acquired during several nights in mid-October:

http://vimeo.com/31170870

A "map" is a better way to describe what's being shown here. A stitched together, high-res mosaic of images with mostly clean seams, mapped onto Jupiter's shape and slowly rotated synthetically.

It's very weird because the caption says you can see clouds moving, but also says it was acquired from images taken over the last year. How could you acquire them over a year and mush them into a smooth animation showing rotation and cloud motion? Instead, it is a static mosaic from a few days of imaging during which Jupiter didn't change much, and with at least a couple hard to fix seams. Still a good result - but different from what's being suggested by the caption. This is another case where details provided by the imaging team would be helpful, if not essential.

zloq

[Ann]

[quote]zloq wrote:

OK - this is a nice view of Jupiter - but I do not think this is an actual view of it rotating over time. It appears to be a static map of surface detail acquired over several days of ima

You may well be right, zloq, but it is still a gorgeous video.

Ann

[Myyk]

I agree with the first several posters, this is not a time lapse animation, but a static image that is being rotated, and I agree that you can see seams where the image has been wrapped around the sphere.Also I watched the movie half a dozen times and the clouds are NOT moving.

[promovious]

In the southern region the impact of levy shumacher (sp) can be seen still in a row of 6 impact 'spots' .

[Chris Peterson]

In the southern region the impact of levy shumacher (sp) can be seen still in a row of 6 impact 'spots' .

The visual effects of the impacts lasted several months. But no visible remains in the atmosphere have been seen for more than 15 years. Whatever structure you are looking at, it is unrelated to SL9.

[islader2]

@ PROMOVIOUS To expound slightly on our learned contributor CHRIS P.==who is also very knowledgeable about things visual==your experience with SL9 is a phenomenom known by me {IMHO} as perceptive apperception. Welcome with your first entry. Thanx.

[deathfleer]

spinning at equatorial velocity of 45000 km/s I cannot imagine what will happen were it to encounter something stationary.
I tend to visualize the solar system as a number of spinning tops, except that tops are subjected to gravity and friction and so, they drop down quickly.
Those spinning giant balls take a very long time to slow down and eventually fall into the sun, just like an old satellite falling down to earth.
(just voicing what is in my head)

[Chris Peterson]

spinning at equatorial velocity of 45000 km/s I cannot imagine what will happen were it to encounter something stationary.

The equatorial velocity is 45,300 km per HOUR, which is only 12.6 km/s. That's about the speed that the slowest meteors encounter the Earth's atmosphere.

[Perk Cartel]

If I may ask a silly question - why do the clouds not appear to change much if at all ?

[Perk Cartel]

Further to my previous silly query I should have added my suspicion that it is not as described, composed of images taken over a year:

"The above high-resolution time-lapse movie was captured over the past year ..."

but, agreeing with other posters, it appears like a solid model rotating with an image map.

[DavidLeodis]

The credit mentions S2P and OPM but neither has a link to further information. I have tried searching for both but have not been able to readily definitely find out what they are. I would therefore be grateful if anyone can please tell me what S2P and OPM are. I wonder if OPM is Pic du Midi Observatory but given as Observatory Pic du Midi?

[zloq]

The credit mentions S2P and OPM but neither has a link to further information. I have tried searching for both but have not been able to readily definitely find out what they are. I would therefore be grateful if anyone can please tell me what S2P and OPM are. I wonder if OPM is Pic du Midi Observatory but given as Observatory Pic du Midi?

Good question. I poked around a bit, and it looks to me like:

S2P = Station de Planétologie des Pyrénées

OPM = Observatoire de Paris-Meudon

zloq

[DavidLeodis]

The credit mentions S2P and OPM but neither has a link to further information. I have tried searching for both but have not been able to readily definitely find out what they are. I would therefore be grateful if anyone can please tell me what S2P and OPM are. I wonder if OPM is Pic du Midi Observatory but given as Observatory Pic du Midi?

Good question. I poked around a bit, and it looks to me like:

S2P = Station de Planétologie des Pyrénées

OPM = Observatoire de Paris-Meudon

zloq

Thanks for that zloq, which is appreciated.

[Spourk from Ork]

It's a beautiful video, however, the description is very misleading, especially these bits; "Other smaller storm systems ocassionally appear" and "A careful inspection will reveal that central clouds rotate slightly faster than clouds toward the poles."

If people want to see the actual dynamics of Jupiter's swirling clouds/atmosphere then they should take a look at some of the old Voyager time lapse images.

Here's a good one to start with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHwkdcppsuo

I'd be interested to see that kind of detail with our technology now. Great video, static images and all though!

[ashaman99]

Nice Animation!
Is that Trogdor down in the left hand corner!?!?!

I am surprised by the statement about the makeup of the clouds. With all the reports of "earth like" planets being discovered orbiting distant stars, and detailed talk of star forming regions of galaxies; I thought we knew at least that much about our neighbors.

I Learn something new every day.....whether I want to or not!

[Fang]

I couldn't get it to play. who can help me ??

[whataglass]

This is fabulous. Absolutely fabulous.

[SandJ]

I have finally got around to buying a new PC and ...

... I still can't get this to play. :0(