APOD: Perijove Passage (2017 Jun 03)

[APOD Robot]

Perijove Passage

Explanation: On May 19, the Juno spacecraft once again swung by Jupiter in its looping 53 day orbit around the Solar System's ruling gas gaint. Beginning at the top, this vertical 14 frame sequence of enhanced-color JunoCam images follows the spacecraft's rapidly changing perspective during its two hour passage. They look down on Jupiter's north polar region, equatorial, and south polar region (bottom images). With the field-of-view shrinking, the seventh and eighth images in the sequence are close-up. Taken only 4 minutes apart above Jupiter's equator they were captured just before the spacecraft reached perijove 6, its closest approach to Jupiter on this orbit. Final images in the sequence pick up white oval storm systems, Jupiter's "String of Pearls", and the south polar region from the outward bound spacecraft.

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[Ann]

Great images!

My favorite one is probably the last one. Here we can see five white oval storms, forming a beautiful string of pearls in one of Jupiter's dark belts. In another dark belt, a storm system has erupted which resembles a mixture of abstract art and Art Nouveau golden-yellow rose paintings. Closer to the pole, there are more fantastic shapes, at the same time as the color of this region turns more and more blue. Surely the blue tint is not real? The caption talks about enhanced color.

I also love the third picture. At right is a fantastic collection of amazing whorls and maelstroms, which makes me think of an elegant Jovian version of the monsters of Mordor. In the fifth picture, a belt of storm systems seems to rise high above its surroundings.

But the seventh and eighth pictures are disappointing to me. Maybe Juno was getting so close to Jupiter that all the interesting details disappeared? Maybe the speed of Juno was too high in relation to the proximity of its target? Maybe it's not always so interesting to stare down at a major belt or a zone?

Well, the series of images is superb, nevertheless!

Ann

Click to view full size image

The Squid Nebula (Ou4), centered on young triple star HR 8119.
Source: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/5088 ... 16-newton/

Oh, and I can't resist. This is my 8119th post, and at left you can see the Squid Nebula, also known as Ou4, and its central star, HR 8119. HR 8119 is one of my favorite stars!

[Boomer12k]

I would have liked to find a sequence of separate images to load up into my projector... at 100 inches it would be like looking out THE WINDOW...

:---[===] *

[madtom1999]

I hope they have some taken close enough together to allow a 3D view into the clouds.

[De58te]

I might have an idea why picture 7 and 8 are more blurry. First, Juno must be traveling at a speed in the thousands of miles per hour in order for it to stay in orbit and not to fall down to Jupiter like a stone. Now, consider a phenomenon of motion and perspective while riding in a fast car going say 100 miles an hour. If you film it with a camera out the side window (as can be seen in some Hollywood movies) trees or buildings several miles away that are near the horizon hardly move at all and can be seen sharply in focus, whereas trees right on the side of the road, some 10 or 15 feet away whirl past the window so fast they are merely a blur. This phenomenon might have something to do with picture 7 and 8 on Jupiter because it appears to be the closest to the camera.

[RedFishBlueFish]

Wonderful! Imaginative!!

Remarkably more engaging than a video > perhaps because of the control the viewer has, or the simultaneity of the views.

Sehr wunderbar. Danke

[ygmarchi]

The 7th and 8th pictures seem to reveal earth-like water vapor clouds, but maybe it's just a matter of resemblance.
Anyway these a really gorgeous and mind blowing pictures.

[Joe9275]

What is the probability that Jupiter's 'string of pearls' is an after effect of the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy's multiple chunks that impacted Jupiter in 1994 ? Although the comet chunks impacted at a latitude away from the equator, their spacing is similar to the 'pearls' spacing, and perhaps the present more equatorial location would give a clue as to the depth of Jupiter's atmosphere ?

[Chris Peterson]

What is the probability that Jupiter's 'string of pearls' is an after effect of the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy's multiple chunks that impacted Jupiter in 1994 ? Although the comet chunks impacted at a latitude away from the equator, their spacing is similar to the 'pearls' spacing, and perhaps the present more equatorial location would give a clue as to the depth of Jupiter's atmosphere ?

The string-of-pearls storms are apparent in Voyager I imagery taken 15 years before the SL-9 impact.

[lwht]

What is the origin of the colors we see in Jupiter's atmosphere?

I assume we are looking at composition differences, but that begs another question.

How are the colors maintained in an atmosphere subject to millions of years of turbulent mixing?

[catalina]

Now THESE are images of Jupiter! They bring so many questions to mind. Why do the belts not "cross over" into the other belts in the equatorial regions, yet seem blurred around the poles? Are the "pearls" circling the planet swept along at the same rate with the stormy belt they are encased in, or are they geosynchronous with whatever lies beneath the swirling clouds (the same question about the great red spot)? Do we have any better idea now of the composition of these colorful gases creating the swirls and eddies-are they only gases or is there dust mixed in there, too? Any artist on earth would have a hard time rivaling the beauty and design of Jupiter's exquisite and awe-inspiring form.