Jupiter: Textures and Colors Out of This World

Enjoy this stunning collection of Jupiter photographs created by NASA and amateur astronomers

The Juno space probe reached Jupiter in 2016 after a five-year journey from Earth. Since then, NASA has gathered a vast collection of data that is helping us understand the fascinating nature of the planet and giving the artistic and scientific communities new opportunities to work together.

About the Juno mission

Launched in 2011, the Juno probe is one of the most ambitious technological and astronomical devices in human history It has allowed us to observe the planet Jupiter like never before. Some facts about it:

- The unmanned probe can be controlled remotely and orbits the planet, collecting information continuously.
- There are nine scientific instruments installed on board that are used to detect the presence of solid material inside the gas giant, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the atmosphere, and create detailed maps of Jupiter.
- It is one of the fastest human artifacts in history, reaching speeds of nearly 165.000 miles per hour.
- It is the first mission that has managed to orbit around Jupiter from pole to pole.

The camera

The JunoCam is a camera/telescope with a 58-degree field of vision and four filters that allows the probe to capture incredibly detailed photos, which are sent in RAW format to Earth. Amateur astronomers and artists from around the world can then access them on a website and help finish the editing and processing job.

Humans lend a hand

These RAW photographs are distributed to the general public - mostly amateur astronomers- who have volunteered to process them, sending extraordinary artistic images full of rich detail and color back to NASA.

The artistic work

In this example, you can see what the original RAW image looks like and what it can become after a touch-up and some editing.

Artist Björn Jónsson increased the contrast and emphasized the differences in colors to achieve this texture:

Here is a selection of edited photos sent to the Jupiter Image Processing Gallery:

Gerald Eichstädt

Taken north of Jupiter during a Juno approach.

Betsy Asher Hall and Gervasio Robles

Jupiter's south pole seen at the height of 51,000 kilometers.

Gabriel Fiset

The south pole of the planet, processed to accentuate the original colors.

Kevin M. Gill Editions

The following photo was taken in Jupiter's northern hemisphere. Intricate patterns of gas vortices can be seen.

This image managed to capture the atmospheric conditions in the north of the planet. Spiral clouds can be seen.

Karoji-76

More details of Jupiter's storms.

Hubert

In this picture, filters were applied to fold the image, mirror some parts of it, and create this kaleidoscopic pattern that the author compares to a pomegranate.

Ryan Cornell

The edited image shows an oblique view of the planet that the author titles "Storms and Chemistry".

Prateek Sarpal

A composition of the different faces of the planet, with color edits that highlight the contrast of the textures.

If you want to see more images of Jupiter–both the originals sent by the JunoCam and those processed by the public–visit the Jupiter Image Processing Gallery that NASA created for the Juno Mission.

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