Time-lapse Sequence of Jupiter’s South Pole

Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt

NASA’s Juno spacecraft took the color-enhanced time-lapse sequence of images during its eleventh close flyby of the gas giant planet on Feb. 7 between 7:21 a.m. and 8:01 a.m. PST (10:21 a.m. and 11:01 a.m. EST). At the time, the spacecraft was between 85,292 to 124,856 miles (137,264 to 200,937 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of the planet with the images centered on latitudes from 84.1 to 75.5 degrees south.

At first glance, the series might appear to be the same image repeated. But closer inspection reveals slight changes, which are most easily noticed by comparing the far left image with the far right image.

Directly, the images show Jupiter. But, through slight variations in the images, they indirectly capture the motion of the Juno spacecraft itself, once again swinging around a giant planet hundreds of millions of miles from Earth.

Source / Image Courtesy

 

NASA's Juno probe successfully performed her Perijove-11 Jupiter flyby on 7th February, 2018.

This movie (created from JunoCam image data by Gerald Eichstädt) starts with a reconstructed in-bound sequence approaching Jupiter from north on its night side.

Then the orbit approaches Jupiter down to an altitude of about 3,500 km a bit north of the equator. JunoCam looked towards Jupiter's limb during close flyby.

This is followed by a transition into the outbound orbit, during which Jupiter's south polar region comes into the field of view.