heic1914 — Photo Release
Hubble Showcases New Portrait of Jupiter
8 August 2019
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter’s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019. It features the planet’s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet’s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years.
Among the most striking features in the image are the rich colours of the clouds moving toward the Great Red Spot. This huge anticyclonic storm is roughly the diameter of Earth and is rolling counterclockwise between two bands of clouds that are moving in opposite directions toward it.
As with previous images of Jupiter taken by Hubble, and other observations from telescopes on the ground, the new image confirms that the huge storm which has raged on Jupiter’s surface for at least 150 years continues to shrink. The reason for this is still unknown so Hubble will continue to observe Jupiter in the hope that scientists will be able to solve this stormy riddle. Much smaller storms appear on Jupiter as white or brown ovals that can last as little as a few hours or stretch on for centuries.
The worm-shaped feature located south of the Great Red Spot is a cyclone, a vortex spinning in the opposite direction to that in which the Great Red Spot spins. Researchers have observed cyclones with a wide variety of different appearances across the planet. The two white oval features are anticyclones, similar to small versions of the Great Red Spot.
The Hubble image also highlights Jupiter’s distinct parallel cloud bands. These bands consist of air flowing in opposite directions at various latitudes. They are created by differences in the thickness and height of the ammonia ice clouds; the lighter bands rise higher and have thicker clouds than the darker bands. The different concentrations are kept separate by fast winds which can reach speeds of up to 650 kilometres per hour.
These observations of Jupiter form part of the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) programme, which began in 2014. This initiative allows Hubble to dedicate time each year to observing the outer planets and provides scientists with access to a collection of maps, which helps them to understand not only the atmospheres of the giant planets in the Solar System, but also the atmosphere of our own planet and of the planets in other planetary systems.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
Image credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Space Flight Center), and M.H. Wong (University of California, Berkeley)
ESA/Hubble, Public Information Officer
"Kuchunguza kwa karibu ""Jupiter"" na ""Jupiter"" katika picha ya kwanza ya Hubble, NASA na ESA Space Telescope inaonyesha urembo wa wingu la Jupiter katika picha hii mpya iliyochukuliwa Juni 27, 2019." Ina alama ya biashara ya sayari ya Great Red Spot na palette ya rangi kali zaidi katika mawingu yanayozunguka katika anga la sayari yenye msukosuko kuliko ilivyotokea miaka ya awali. Mojawapo ya mambo yenye kutokeza zaidi katika picha hiyo ni rangi zenye kupendeza za mawingu yanayoelekea kwenye Damu Kubwa Nyekundu. Dhoruba hii kubwa ya anticyclonic ni karibu kipenyo cha Dunia na ni rolling counterclockwise kati ya bendi mbili za mawingu kwamba ni kusonga katika mwelekeo kinyume kuelekea yake. Picha hiyo mpya, kama ilivyo na picha za awali za Jupita zilizochukuliwa na Hubble na uchunguzi mwingine kutoka kwa darubini za chini ya ardhi, inathibitisha kwamba dhoruba kubwa ambayo imekuwa ikisababisha mvua juu ya uso wa Jupita kwa angalau miaka 150 inaendelea kupungua. Sababu ya hali hiyo bado haijulikani, kwa hiyo Hubble itaendelea kuchunguza sayari ya Jupita kwa matumaini kwamba wanasayansi wataweza kutatua fumbo hili lenye msukosuko. Dhoruba ndogo zaidi huonekana kwenye sayari ya Jupita kama mviringo mweupe au kahawia ambao unaweza kudumu kwa muda wa saa chache tu au kwa karne nyingi. Mzunguko huo unaoitwa Great Red Spot unaitwa Cyclone na unaelekea upande ule mwingine wa mviringo. Watafiti wameona vimbunga vyenye maonyesho mbalimbali duniani kote. Sehemu hizo mbili nyeupe zenye umbo la mviringo ni anticyclones, sawa na matoleo madogo ya Mwanga Mkubwa Mwekundu. Picha ya Hubble pia inaonyesha mistari ya mawingu ya Jupita iliyo sambamba. Vipande hivyo vina hewa inayotiririka katika pande tofauti-tofauti katika latitudo mbalimbali. Hizi huundwa na tofauti katika unene na urefu wa mawingu ya barafu ya amonia; bendi nyepesi huinuka juu na zina mawingu mazito kuliko bendi nyeusi. Mzunguko huo wa hewa unaendelea kuenea kwa kasi kwa sababu ya upepo wenye nguvu ambao unaweza kufikia kasi ya kilomita 650 kwa saa. Majaribio hayo ya sayari ya Jupiter ni sehemu ya mpango wa Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) ulioanza mwaka 2014. "Hatua hii inaruhusu Hubble kujitolea wakati kila mwaka kuchunguza sayari za nje na hutoa wanasayansi na upatikanaji wa makusanyo ya ramani, ambayo husaidia kuelewa si tu anga ya sayari kubwa katika mfumo wa jua, lakini pia anga ya sayari yetu na ya sayari katika mifumo mingine ya sayari. """ Teleskopi ya Hubble ni mradi wa ushirikiano wa kimataifa kati ya ESA na NASA. Picha: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Kituo cha Ndege za Anga cha Goddard), na M.H. (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya) (Ulimwengu wa Ulaya)