NASA reveals stunning images of Jupiter taken by the Juno spacecraft

Alexandra Richards
Updated
The Juno satellite spacecraft captured the stunning images of Jupiter on its 13th fly-by of the planet: NASA
The Juno satellite spacecraft captured the stunning images of Jupiter on its 13th fly-by of the planet: NASA

Nasa has released stunning images of Jupiter taken from the Juno spacecraft.

The breathtaking images show swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere.

Scientists said the photos allowed them to see the planet’s weather system in greater detail.

According to the space station, the brighter colours in the images represent clouds made up of ammonia and water, while the darker blue-green spirals represent cloud material "deeper in Jupiter's atmosphere."

The captivating images show swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere (NASA)
The captivating images show swirling cloud belts and tumultuous vortices within Jupiter’s northern hemisphere (NASA)

The fascinating photos were taken as the Juno satellite made its thirteenth close fly-by of the planet.

Jet stream speeding through Jupiter’s atmosphere taken on May 23 (NASA)
Jet stream speeding through Jupiter’s atmosphere taken on May 23 (NASA)

At the time Juno was about 9,600 miles from the planet's cloud tops.

The Juno satellite was launched in order to improve Nasa’s understanding of the solar system's beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of Jupiter.

It was launched on August 5 2011 and its mission will end in July 2021.

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