The Juno spacecraft continues to transmit eye-opening images of our peculiar solar system.

The space agency recently released a vivid image from the Jupiter-orbiting mission, depicting lighting within a Jovian tempest. In the midst of this whirling vortex, the spark occurred in clouds of a “ammonia-water solution,” which differ from the billowing clouds of water vapor on Earth.

This image was captured by Juno during its 31st orbit around the gas giant, a planet with nearly 100 moons. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which frequently reveals images of its robotic extraterrestrial missions, particularly on Mars and Jupiter, recently released the image, which was acquired in 2020 and processed a year ago.

The climate of extraterrestrial worlds.

Recently, Juno captured breathtaking imagery of the solar system’s most volcanically active planet, Io, which has been orbiting Jupiter more than fifty times. Last year, Juno also flew over Europa, capturing detailed images of the moon’s fractured, frigid surface. NASA believes that this asteroid almost definitely contains a salty ocean.

Jupiter is notoriously turbulent. Its enormous crimson point, a vortex larger than Earth, has been spinning for centuries. The turbulent clouds of water and ammonia swirl through an atmosphere dominated by hydrogen and helium.

And NASA anticipates additional lightning strikes in these storm clouds. “In the coming months, Juno’s orbits will repeatedly bring it close to Jupiter as the spacecraft passes over the giant planet’s night side,” the agency said(opens in a new tab). This will provide more opportunities for Juno’s suite of scientific instruments to capture lightning in action.

Also on the horizon is the closest approach of Juno to Io, which will occur in late December and again in January 2024. The spacecraft will pass within 1,500 kilometers of Jupiter’s moon and its erupting volcanoes.