Jupiter

Earlier this month, scientists launched the James Webb Space Telescope into space. This took place a decade later than originally planned and more than 1000% over budget. People have been working on this for a long time, and much has been invested into what it can do.

I loved listening to scientists talk about the James Webb Space Telescope on Vox’s podcast Unexplainable. One of the astronomers shared that through tools, including this telescope, we are “the universe understanding itself.” I love that language and that thought.

Likewise, NASA’s Juno mission around Jupiter has yielded knowledge and beauty. Today, enjoy the clearest images of Jupiter we’ve ever seen. You are the universe, understanding and and admiring itself.

These beautifully real images are some of the closest images of Jupiter. Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. The original image was captured by JunoCam, the camera on NASA’s Juno mission in orbit around Jupiter. This image was taken on Juno’s 22nd close pass by Jupiter on Sept. 12, 2019 with image processing done by Prateek.: NASA’s Juno Space Probe / JunoCam