A New Pic Of Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere To Soothe Our Tortured Souls

A New Pic Of Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere To Soothe Our Tortured Souls

Thank you, Juno spacecraft, for this glorious new image of Jupiter’s southernmost regions – and for reminding us of the beauty that exists within our tumultuous Solar System.

Behold Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, as seen from a distance of 71,400km and above a southern latitude of about 71 degrees. NASA’s Juno spacecraft took the photo (which has been colour-enhanced) during a particularly close orbital encounter on 23 May 2018.

The probe is in a unique polar orbit, which is why we’re finally able to see the nether regions of this massive planet.

A New Pic Of Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere To Soothe Our Tortured Souls
A closer view of the storms, slightly adjusted for brightness. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill/Gizmodo)

Jupiter’s southern tip, much like its north, is filled with storms. The oval features are cyclones, the largest of which measure up to 1000km in diameter. It’s easy to forget the scale when looking at an image like this; more than 1300 Earths would fit inside this gas giant.

A New Pic Of Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere To Soothe Our Tortured Souls
Views of Jupiter’s south pole, as seen by Juno back in February 2018. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt)

Juno arrived at Jupiter on 4 July 2016, and despite having orbits that are longer than planned, the spacecraft has sent back a host of valuable data.

In early June, NASA announced that Juno’s mission will be extended to 2021, which means we can look forward to more images like these, and more discoveries about the inner workings of our Solar System’s largest planet.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.