NASA’s Juno mission reached a significant milestone on March 1, 2023, when it successfully completed its 49th close flyby of Jupiter. During this close encounter, the Juno spacecraft flew at a relatively low altitude just above the massive planet’s cloud tops. It was during this flyby that Juno’s JunoCam instrument captured a fascinating image revealing distinct bands of high-altitude haze forming above cyclones in a specific region known as Jet N7.
To bring out the details and enhance the visual impact of the image, a citizen scientist named Björn Jónsson processed the raw data from the JunoCam instrument. By adjusting the contrast and sharpness, Jónsson was able to provide a clearer view of the scene. The image was taken when Juno was positioned approximately 5,095 miles (8,200 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, specifically at a latitude of about 66 degrees.
Image Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS (Image processing by Björn Jónsson © CC NC SA)