Starship Asterisk*

The North and South Jupiter

Explanation: A wide, looping orbit brought Juno close to Jupiter on August 27. As the spacecraft swung around the giant planet's poles JunoCam acquired these premier direct polar views, a change from the usual nearly equatorial perspective of outbound spacecraft and the telescopes of planet Earth. The sunlit side of Jupiter's north polar region (left) was imaged about 125,000 kilometers from the cloud tops, two hours before Juno's closest approach. An hour after close approach the south polar region was captured from 94,500 kilometers away. Strikingly different from the alternating light-colored zones and darker belts girdling more familiar equatorial regions, the polar region clouds appear more convoluted and mottled by many clockwise and counterclockwise rotating storm systems. Another 35 close orbital flybys are planned during the Juno mission.

<< Previous APOD

This Day in APOD

Next APOD >>

[/b]

Amazingly awesome and it's paisley... my favorite color.

I generally like paisley patterns, but the muddled purpley-brown colours remind me of the paintings I (and everyone else) made as a kid, after mixing all the colours together. Convection is fascinating stuff, regardless of colour.

What might be the explanation for the "s" shape that appears to be emanating from the lightest colored storm at about 3 o'clock on the north pole image? It almost looks more like an eruption cloud.

I'm sure these seemingly random cloud patterns are created by warmer conditions below interacting with the frigidity the upper atmosphere. One thing to consider is though the clouds themselves are probably tens - or hundreds of kilometers deep. If Jupiter were the size of a basketball that layer would be only a thin coat of paint on the outside.

Surely my old eyes are deceiving me. Jupiter's north pole appears to have a geometric pattern to it, similar to Saturn's famous hexagon. Could Jupiter's north pole have an octagon?

There must be a definition of "life" that would make it possible in that uncountable-years of roiling elements, compounds and energy.

Jupiter's Civil War between North and South raged for a long time, ravaging the planet, culminating in the Giant Red Spot, the "Gettysburg of Jupiter"....

Not that war is a laughing matter. Just my parody.

Spotty, blotchy, and swirly, at both ends.... "War" indeed... A war of Pressures...winds, and currents, and storms...

:---[===] *

Jim Armstrong wrote:There must be a definition of "life" that would make it possible in that uncountable-years of roiling elements, compounds and energy.

To answer your question....
http://www.universetoday.com/15134/is-t ... -jupiter/#

Not likely....

:---[===] *

Boomer12k wrote:

Jim Armstrong wrote:There must be a definition of "life" that would make it possible in that uncountable-years of roiling elements, compounds and energy.

To answer your question....
http://www.universetoday.com/15134/is-t ... -jupiter/#
Not likely....
:---[===] *

My only reaction to that short article about life on Jupiter is that it is more useful as an example of the closed-mindedness of the human species than it is a fair assessment of the question that Jim Armstrong asked.

On the north pole photo if you tilt your head sideways and look just beside the squiggly white cloud over the purple colored zone you see a couple of bright white clouds that look like the letters US.
Isn't that weird? Jupiter seems to know that Juno has come from the US and is sending a greeting!

MarkBour
Your answer is much appreciated.
The Universe Today article went right where it wanted to, so I guess there is no sense thinking about it.