                        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 April 21

                        Perijove 16: Passing Jupiter
      Video Credit & License: NASA, Juno, SwRI, MSSS, Gerald Eichstadt;
      Music: The Planets, IV. Jupiter (Gustav Holst); USAF Heritage of
                        America Band (via Wikipedia)

   Explanation: Watch Juno zoom past Jupiter. NASA's robotic spacecraft
   Juno is continuing on its now month-long, highly-elongated orbits
   around our Solar System's largest planet. The featured video is from
   perijove 16, the sixteenth time that Juno passed near Jupiter since it
   arrived in mid-2016. Each perijove passes near a slightly different
   part of Jupiter's cloud tops. This color-enhanced video has been
   digitally composed from 21 JunoCam still images, resulting in a
   125-fold time-lapse. The video begins with Jupiter rising as Juno
   approaches from the north. As Juno reaches its closest view -- from
   about 3,500 kilometers over Jupiter's cloud tops -- the spacecraft
   captures the great planet in tremendous detail. Juno passes light zones
   and dark belts of clouds that circle the planet, as well as numerous
   swirling circular storms, many of which are larger than hurricanes on
   Earth. As Juno moves away, the remarkable dolphin-shaped cloud is
   visible. After the perijove, Jupiter recedes into the distance, now
   displaying the unusual clouds that appear over Jupiter's south. To get
   desired science data, Juno swoops so close to Jupiter that its
   instruments are exposed to very high levels of radiation.

                   Tomorrow's picture: volcano emits rings
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

