This last week, astronomers at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii spotted some huge storms on Uranus. Prior to 2007, when Uranus’ southern hemisphere was visible, there was a really bright storm known as the Berg. Over a few years, that storm started to migrate towards the equator before it disappeared. The current storm, spotted on August 6th in Uranus’ northern hemisphere, is even brighter than the Berg. Near-infrared images show that the storm will reach high altitudes near the tropopause. By studying this storm, we can see how storms on other planets evolve and compare it to those on Earth.
Today’s Image of the Week from our robotic outpost in the outer solar system … the great churning, whirling vortex at the center of Saturn’s famous northern polar hexagon. Whenever I see this monstrous cyclone, about as big across as the distance between Los Angeles, California to Austin, Texas, I think of the Pequod in Moby Dick.
'Now small fowls flew screaming over the yet yawning gulf.'
Via Flickr: A color-somposite of raw Cassini images acquired on July 13, 2013. We are looking at Saturn’s southern hemisphere (south pole is at bottom right) with the shadows of the rings overlaid on the planet’s atmosphere.
Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute. Composite by Jason Major.
This timelapse video of the vivid auroras in Jupiter’s atmosphere was
created using observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space
Telescope. Hubble is particularly suited to observing and studying the
auroras on the biggest planet in the Solar System, as they are brightest
in the ultraviolet.
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Nichols
Note: Magnetic fields can be a fascinating subject. Hopefully, Juno can shed some light on curious configurations such as this June 30, 2016 HST release. ~ JN Ph, 7.5
For the first time in almost a decade, we’re going back to Jupiter. Our Juno spacecraft arrives at the king of planets on the fourth of July. From a unique polar orbit, Juno will repeatedly dive between the planet and its intense belts of charged particle radiation. Juno’s primary goal is to improve our understanding of Jupiter’s formation and evolution, which will help us understand the history of our own solar system and provide new insight into how other planetary systems form.
In anticipation, here are a few things you need to know about the Juno mission and the mysterious world it will explore:
1. This is the Big One
The most massive planet in our solar system, with dozens of moons and an enormous magnetic field, Jupiter rules over a kind of miniature solar system.
2. Origin Story
Why study Jupiter in the first place? How does the planet fit into the solar system as a whole? What is it hiding? How will Juno unlock its secrets? A series of brief videos tells the stories of Jupiter and Juno. Watch them HERE.
3. Eyes on Juno
If you really want a hands-on understanding of Juno’s flight through the Jupiter system, there’s no better tool than the “Eyes on Juno” online simulation. It uses data from the mission to let you realistically see and interact with the spacecraft and its trajectory—in 3D and across both time and space.
4. You’re on JunoCam!
Did you know that you don’t have to work for NASA to contribute to the Juno mission? Amateur astronomers and space enthusiasts everywhere are invited to help with JunoCam, the mission’s color camera. You can upload your own images of Jupiter, comment on others’ images, and vote on which pictures JunoCam will take when it reaches the Jovian system.
5. Ride Along
It’s easy to follow events from the Juno mission as they unfold. Here are several ways to follow along online:
Do you relish the notion of being a Saturnian, and gazing out from the lofty heights of Saturn at the same planets we see here from the Earth?
Then check out the image we, the imaging team on Cassini, just released today. Far in the distance, beyond the rings of Saturn, lies the hazy blue orb of Uranus, a planet that was last visited by a spacecraft of our making 28 years ago.
Two mysterious worlds explored for the first time. Liquid water seen flowing on Mars. A global ocean discovered hiding inside a moon of Saturn. Even during our Era of audacious solar system exploration, 2015 stands out. Here are a few highlights:
1. New Horizons Reveals the Face of Pluto
Whether or not you call it a planet, Pluto entranced the people of Earth when it sent a love note from three billion miles away via our New Horizons spacecraft.
2. Dawn Comes to Ceres
The dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, teased explorers with its bizarre bright spots before finally giving up some of its secrets to the Dawn spacecraft. HERE are the latest findings.
3. Cassini Marks Discoveries and Milestones at Enceladus
When the Cassini spacecraft performs its final close flyby of Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus on Dec. 19, it will be a true milestone. Scientists using data from Cassini’s instruments have uncovered astounding secrets about this small moon, including (confirmed this year) the fact that its underground ocean of liquid water is global, and is home to hydrothermal vents.
4. We Confirmed Evidence that Liquid Water Flows on Today’s Mars
The European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission had a remarkable year, re-establishing contact with the Philae lander and following comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it swung near the sun.
Five years after a mishap sent the spacecraft off course, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully inserted the Venus Climate Orbiter “Akatsuki” into orbit around Venus. While the mission is not funded by NASA, an agency partnership with JAXA provides an opportunity for eight of our scientists to work with the Akatsuki team and study data from the spacecraft over the next year or so.
9. A Trailblazing Mission Sends Its Final Message from Mercury
NASA Mars Science Laboratory team geologist Dawn Sumner gives us a tour of the Curiosity rover and the instruments the probe carried to the red planet. An array of cameras, lasers and drills will conduct experiments to determine the composition of the planet’s rocks. For more visit ucresearch.tumblr.com
