                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2021 October 26

                               Jupiter Rotates
   Video Credit & Copyright: JL Dauvergne; Music: Oro Aqua (Benoit Reeves)

   Explanation: Observe the graceful twirl of our Solar System's largest
   planet. Many interesting features of Jupiter's enigmatic atmosphere,
   including dark belts and light zones, can be followed in detail. A
   careful inspection will reveal that different cloud layers rotate at
   slightly different speeds. The famous Great Red Spot is not visible at
   first -- but soon rotates into view. Other smaller storm systems
   occasionally appear. As large as Jupiter is, it rotates in only 10
   hours. Our small Earth, by comparison, takes 24 hours to complete a
   spin cycle. The featured high-resolution time-lapse video was captured
   over five nights earlier this month by a mid-sized telescope on an
   apartment balcony in Paris, France. Since hydrogen and helium gas are
   colorless, and those elements compose most of Jupiter's expansive
   atmosphere, what trace elements create the observed colors of Jupiter's
   clouds remains a topic of research.

   Discovery + Outreach: Graduate student research position open for APOD
                      Tomorrow's picture: veil the bat
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

