                        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 December 29

                   Giant Storms and High Clouds on Jupiter
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin
                                   M. Gill

   Explanation: What and where are these large ovals? They are rotating
   storm clouds on Jupiter imaged last month by NASA's Juno spacecraft. In
   general, higher clouds are lighter in color, and the lightest clouds
   visible are the relatively small clouds that dot the lower oval. At 50
   kilometers across, however, even these light clouds are not small. They
   are so high up that they cast shadows on the swirling oval below. The
   featured image has been processed to enhance color and contrast. Large
   ovals are usually regions of high pressure that span over 1000
   kilometers and can last for years. The largest oval on Jupiter is the
   Great Red Spot (not pictured), which has lasted for at least hundreds
   of years. Studying cloud dynamics on Jupiter with Juno images enables a
   better understanding of dangerous typhoons and hurricanes on Earth.

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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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