Named after the Roman king of the gods, the immense planet Jupiter is undoubtedly king of the solar system. Containing more mass than all the other planets in our solar system combined, Jupiter's immense gravitational field deflects wayward comets that otherwise might slam into Earth, wreaking havoc.
<p>This Hubble Space Telescope photo of Jupiter was taken when the planet was comparatively close to Earth, at a distance of 415 million miles. 
</p><p>Hubble reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter's clouds as arranged into bands of different latitudes, known as tropical regions. These bands are produced by air flowing in different directions at various latitudes. Lighter colored areas, called zones, are high-pressure regions where the atmosphere rises. Darker, low-pressure regions where air falls are called belts. 
</p><p>The planet's trademark, the Great Red Spot, is a long-lived storm larger than the diameter of Earth. Much smaller storms appear as white or brown-colored ovals. Such storms can last as little as a few hours or stretch on for centuries.
</p><p>For more information, visit: hubblesite.org/news_release/news/2017-15
</p>
Credit: NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (GSFC)
NASA Hubble
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/144614754@N02/45924655714/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/144614754@N02/45924655714/</a>