Jupiter dawns a shroud of haze, paints an awe-inspiring picture! - See pic

Image courtesy: Gemini Observatory/AURA/NSF/JPL-Caltech/NASA

New Delhi: With the Gemini North Telescope guiding NASA's Juno spacecraft through its exploration of Jupiter with its extremely detailed imaging techniques, researchers have managed to get their hands on a stunning image of the gas giant.

The image shows haze particles over a range of altitudes on Jupiter's surface, as seen in reflected sunlight.

Astronomers at the telescope on Maunakea in Hawaii are revealing "a treasure-trove of fascinating events in Jupiter's atmosphere," said Glenn Orton, principal investigator for the Gemini adaptive optics investigation at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

In addition to images using adaptive optics, Michael Wong from University of California, Berkeley in the US is using a longer-wavelength filter on the telescope to look at cloud opacity on the planet.

"These observations trace vertical flows that cannot be measured any other way, illuminating the weather, climate and general circulation in Jupiter's atmosphere," Wong said.

"Events like this show that there's still much to learn about Jupiter's atmosphere," Orton said.

"The combination of Earth-based and spacecraft observations is a powerful one-two punch in exploring Jupiter," he said.

(With PTI inputs)