Even though New Horizon’s Jupiter flyby happened weeks ago, scientists are only just starting to crunch through the data sent back. They’re revealing better and better images of Jupiter, taken by the spacecraft’s powerful instruments. The image attached to this story was taken using New Horizon’s LEISA infrared camera. It’s a false colour photograph – not what you’d actually see if you were looking at Jupiter – but the fine details in the image are impressive.
The large storm on the right side of both strips is, of course, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Since the image was taken in the infrared spectrum, however, astronomers can see that the monster storm extends far up into the atmosphere. This spectrum also reveals the hazy high-altitude clouds above Jupiter’s southern pole, which look blue in this image.
Original Source: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/SWRI News Release