Juno spacecraft a pot A flash of lightning caught in a vortex near Jupiter’s north pole. On Earth, lightning originates from water clouds and most often occurs near the equator.
However, they are also more likely to occur on Jupiter in clouds that contain a solution of ammonia and water, and are often seen near the poles.
Juno captured this image as it completed its Jupiter flyby 31 on December 30, 2020. Scientist Kevin M. Gill developed the final image in 2022 from raw data from the spacecraft’s JunoCam instrument.
At the time the image was taken, Juno was about 20,000 miles above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at about 78 degrees latitude as it approaches the planet.
Juno’s ongoing research will help scientists better understand the solar system’s largest planet and its properties.
More phenomena on the horizon
In the coming months, Juno’s orbits will bring it steadily closer to Jupiter as the spacecraft passes over the giant planet’s night side, providing more opportunities for NASA’s Juno mission to spot lightning.
Indeed, Juno has multiple instruments capable of detecting phenomena beneath Jupiter’s thick cloud cover with the goal of gathering data on the planet’s origins, atmosphere, and meteorological phenomena.
Edited by Eric Elola
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