During its close flyby of Jupiter on September 6, 2018, the Juno spacecraft captured swirling cloud structures in the planet's southern hemisphere. The impressive image was captured in color as Juno passed about 55,600 miles (89,500 kilometers) above the planet's cloud tops. As of October 2024, Juno has flown close to Jupiter a total of 66 times. 

Since 2016, Juno has been exploring Jupiter's deep and colorful regions, aiming to answer important questions about the origin and evolution of the gas giant. The spacecraft, which is currently undergoing a mission extension, will continue its exploration of Jupiter until September 2025, or until it ceases to be operational. As part of this extended mission, Juno is conducting a survey not only of Jupiter, but also of the planet's rings and moons, known as the Jovian system. Additional flybys are planned, especially of the most prominent moons such as Europa and Io.

Image description:

Jupiter's hemisphere occupies the right half of the screen. As a color-enhanced image, its colors appear more saturated and rich, making the details of Jupiter's swirls more prominent. Jupiter's stripes radiate outward from the planet's center, first dark teal, transitioning to a lighter green stripe, then beige, terracotta and once again beige.

 

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt