The Incredible Photographs of Jupiter From a Two-Megapixel Camera Flying Through Space

After five years, NASA’s space probe Juno arrived at Jupiter in 2016, carrying with it Junocam, a two-megapixel camera featuring a Kodak image sensor. This camera continues to reveal more mysteries about the red planet.

This short video gives an overview of the information that JunoCam has helped to uncover since the probe entered Jupiter’s orbit. Each of Juno’s perijoves — i.e., flybys — has unveiled more about the planet, and NASA and the Southwest Research Institute have made a lot of this data available through the mission’s dedicated website. You can download raw files and submit your own processed versions — interpreting colors, stitching various images — back to NASA for inclusion on the website.

NASA is due to hold a media briefing on October 28 to present the latest information gleaned from Juno, revealing the first three-dimensional look beyond the planet’s top layer of clouds at how Jupiter’s violent atmosphere functions. The probe continues to examine Jupiter’s interior structure, its internal magnetic field, and its unique atmosphere.

Personally, I had no idea that Jupiter’s moon Io cast such a huge shadow across the planet. What did you learn from this video? Let us know in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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8 Comments

This is super cool!

Thanks for posting, Andy.

😊

bonkers

An orbiting camera can take photos of this quality and transmit them 500 million miles through space, but a security camera in a convenience store can't take a good photo of a person from a distance of 20 feet.

It's more a matter of "doesn't want to" than "can't".

Why would anyone make the effort with someone who created an account solely
to make this one provocative comment?

Believe whatever works for you, my dude.

Lol.

I am going to make a wild guess that you also think the Earth is flat and NASA is guarding the south pole.