NASA’s Juno orbiter has transmitted stunning close-ups of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. It’s been orbiting the massive planet for more than a year, but last weekend’s flyby was the closest that the probe came to the solar system’s most famous superstorm. The images were captured from as little as 2,200 miles above the cloud tops, while flying directly over the Great Red Spot at a distance of 5,600 miles. Continue reading for another video, more pictures and information.
“This enhanced-color image of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot was created by citizen scientist Gerald Eichstadt using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The image is approximately illumination adjusted and strongly enhanced to draw viewers’ eyes to the iconic storm and the turbulence around it. The image was taken on July 10, 2017 at 07:07 p.m. PDT (10:07 p.m. EDT), as the Juno spacecraft performed its 7th close flyby of Jupiter,” according to NASA.
