                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 January 19

                     Jupiter over 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
                   Image Credit & License: Aurélien Genin

   Explanation: Jupiter, our Solar System's ruling gas giant, is also the
   fastest spinning planet, rotating once in less than 10 hours. The gas
   giant doesn't rotate like a solid body though. A day on Jupiter is
   about 9 hours and 56 minutes long at the poles, decreasing to 9 hours
   and 50 minutes near the equator. The giant planet's fast rotation
   creates strong jet streams, separating its clouds into planet girdling
   bands of dark belts and bright zones. You can easily follow Jupiter's
   rapid rotation in this sharp sequence of images from the night of
   January 15, all taken with a camera and small telescope outside of
   Paris, France. Located just south of the equator, the giant planet's
   giant storm system, also known as the Great Red Spot, can be seen
   moving left to right with the planet's rotation. From lower left to
   upper right, the sequence spans about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

                     Tomorrow's picture: boostback burn
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb Specific rights apply.
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