Jupiter's Southern Hemisphere
This color map of Jupiter was constructed from images taken by the narrow-angle camera onboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft in December of 2000. Cassini was on its way to Saturn. This round map is a polar stereographic projection that shows the south pole in the center and the equator at the edge. This is the most detailed global color map of Jupiter ever produced; the smallest visible features are about 120 kilometers (75 miles) across. The map is composed of 36 images: a pair of images covering Jupiter's northern and southern hemispheres was acquired in two colors every hour for nine hours as Jupiter rotated beneath the spacecraft. Although the raw images are in just two colors, 750 nanometers (near-infrared) and 451 nanometers (blue), the map's colors are close to those the human eye would see when gazing at Jupiter. Visible are parallel reddish-brown and white bands, the Great Red Spot, multi-lobed chaotic regions, white ovals and many small vortices. Small bright spots within the orange band north of the equator are lightning-bearing thunderstorms. The polar region shown here is less clearly visible because of Cassini's view at an angle and through thicker atmospheric haze.
Size: 3544px × 3600px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: astronomical, astronomy, atmosphere, body, cassini, celestial, deep, exploration, gas, giant, great, heavenly, hemisphere, jupiter, mission, object, planet, planetary, pole, red, science, sky, south, southern, space, spot
