Jupiter
Latest about Jupiter
![This 23-second looped animation of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, created with data from the Hubble Space Telescope, represents approximately 10 Earth hours (or one Jovian day) of activity.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MpZc7JspL5Xfkcg2f9PEfT-320-80.gif)
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is not only shrinking. Its winds are also speeding up.
By Elizabeth Howell published
A decade of Jovian storm-chasing paid off for the Hubble Space Telescope.
![Brazilian observer José Luis Pereira captured this shot of an impactor (bright flash at center-left) hitting Jupiter on Sept. 13, 2021.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/numn4i6S8ehGbLTv7Tjh2c-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter just got smacked by a space rock and an amateur astronomer caught it on camera
By Mike Wall published
Brazilian observer José Luis Pereira captured a bright flash on the solar system's largest planet on Sept. 13, memorializing the fiery death of a space rock high in the Jovian atmosphere.
![Juno spacecraft over Jupiter's great red spot. Jupiter is a gas giant, but could a spacecraft pass through a gas planet?](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pFsaThmbGHdCSJuaxmrbZf-320-80.jpg)
Could a spaceship fly through a gas giant like Jupiter?
By JoAnna Wendel published
These planets are mostly made of gas, but a spaceship would have a rough time trying to get through a giant planet like Jupiter or Saturn.
![The Jupiter moon Ganymede, the largest satellite in the solar system, as seen by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft on July 7, 1979, from a distance of 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers).](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aH9JJ4TxFpcxusr4BtVYqh-320-80.jpeg)
Water vapor detected on huge Jupiter moon Ganymede for 1st time
By Charles Q. Choi published
In the wisp-thin sky of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the largest satellite in the solar system, astronomers have for the first time detected evidence of water vapor, a new study finds.
![Overlaid images of Jupiter's pole from NASA's satellite Juno and NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope. Left shows a projection of Jupiter's Northern X-ray aurora (purple) overlaid on a visible Junocam image of the North Pole. Right shows the Southern counterpart.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YSnxrJQ5pz3nsaxJPpKja6-320-80.jpeg)
Mystery of Jupiter's powerful X-ray auroras finally solved
By Charles Q. Choi published
Mysterious flares of X-rays from Jupiter's auroras suggest that the giant planet's "northern lights" may possess unexpected similarities with those of Earth, a new study finds.
![An image of Ganymede obtained by Juno's June 7 flyby.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3z4LXKDGaP4xFnaqGEbsiS-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter's largest moon revealed in stunning detail in first close-up images in 20 years
By Ben Turner published
These are the first close-ups of Ganymede in over 20 years.
![Evolution of a dawn storm in Jupiter’s polar auroras. This animation was created from observations made by Juno’s UVS (Ultraviolet Spectrograph) instrument.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q9J2mPJSbikC2tqvBcm8BW-320-80.gif)
Glowing 'dawn storm' auroras that blaze in Jupiter's morning skies are born in darkness
By Mindy Weisberger published
New images of Jupiter's polar auroras, captured by the Juno spacecraft, revealed the full cycle of intense and unusual polar light displays.
![Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran produced this image of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot and the surrounding turbulent zones using data from the JunoCam imager.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W4kB4X2vMfGqT4mi7XYyni-320-80.jpg)
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is a ruthless cannibal that devours smaller storms
By Mindy Weisberger published
The Great Red Spot, a massive storm spiraling on the surface of Jupiter, may owe its continued life to cannibalism, slurping up smaller storms to fuel its churning power.
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