Burning Jupiter: Astronomers capture photos of planet using 'lucky' technique

Image courtesy: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA M.H. Wong (UC/EPA)

In the latest images of the planet Jupiter taken from the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, US shows the planet in beautiful hues of orange, red and yellow as it experiences lightning strikes and storm systems around clouds of ice water on its atmosphere.

The astronomers were able to capture the high resolution images of the deep layers of the planet’s atmosphere glowing in warm colours through the planet's thick cloud cover. The composite image was taken using a technique called "lucky imaging".

“The Gemini data were critical because they allowed us to probe deeply into Jupiter’s clouds on a regular schedule. We used a very powerful technique called lucky imaging," said Michael Wong of University of California, Berkeley, who led the research team, in an article published by The Guardian. 

The technique involves obtaining a large number of very short exposure images when the Earth’s atmosphere is briefly stable, using only the sharpest ones the rest is discarded.

The image shows the uneven heat distribution beneath the atmospheric layers of the planet.