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Collection:
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NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
Collection
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Collection
Collection
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Title:
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Hubble Provides Infrared View of Moon, Ring, and Clouds
Title
Hubble Provides Infrared View of Moon, Ring, and Clouds
Title
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Object Name:
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Jupiter
Object_Name
Jupiter
Object Name
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Acknowledgement:
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Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
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Fast Facts:
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note:
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical/Illustr ation
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical/Illustr ation
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note:
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*Release Date*:November 20, 1997 12:00 AM (EST)
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*Release Date*:November 20, 1997 12:00 AM (EST)
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note:
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-1997-37a
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-1997-37a
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note:
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*Title*:Hubble Provides Infrared View of Moon, Ring, and Clouds
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*Title*:Hubble Provides Infrared View of Moon, Ring, and Clouds
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note:
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*Description*:
Probing Jupiter's atmosphere for the first time, the Hubble Space Telescope's new Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) provides a sharp glimpse of the planet's ring, moon, and high-altitude clouds.
The presence of methane in Jupiter's hydrogen- and helium- rich atmosphere has allowed NICMOS to plumb Jupiter's atmosphere, revealing bands of high-altitude clouds. Visible light observations cannot provide a clear view of these high clouds because the underlying clouds reflect so much visible light that the higher level clouds are indistinguishable from the lower layer. The methane gas between the main cloud deck and the high clouds absorbs the reflected infrared light, allowing those clouds that are above most of the atmosphere to appear bright. Scientists will use NICMOS to study the high altitude portion of Jupiter's atmosphere to study clouds at lower levels. They will then analyze those images along with visible light information to compile a clearer picture of the planet's weather. Clouds at different levels tell unique stories. On Earth, for example, ice crystal (cirrus) clouds are found at high altitudes while water (cumulus) clouds are at lower levels.
Besides showing details of the planet's high-altitude clouds, NICMOS also provides a clear view of the ring and the moon, Metis. Jupiter's ring plane, seen nearly edge-on, is visible as a faint line on the upper right portion of the NICMOS image. Metis can be seen in the ring plane (the bright circle on the ring's outer edge). The moon is 25 miles wide and about 80,000 miles from Jupiter.
Because of the near-infrared camera's narrow field of view, this image is a mosaic constructed from three individual images taken Sept. 17, 1997. The color intensity was adjusted to accentuate the high-altitude clouds. The dark circle on the disk of Jupiter (center of image) is an artifact of the imaging system.
note
*Description*:
Probing Jupiter's atmosphere for the first time, the Hubble Space Telescope's new Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) provides a sharp glimpse of the planet's ring, moon, and high-altitude clouds.
The presence of methane in Jupiter's hydrogen- and helium- rich atmosphere has allowed NICMOS to plumb Jupiter's atmosphere, revealing bands of high-altitude clouds. Visible light observations cannot provide a clear view of these high clouds because the underlying clouds reflect so much visible light that the higher level clouds are indistinguishable from the lower layer. The methane gas between the main cloud deck and the high clouds absorbs the reflected infrared light, allowing those clouds that are above most of the atmosphere to appear bright. Scientists will use NICMOS to study the high altitude portion of Jupiter's atmosphere to study clouds at lower levels. They will then analyze those images along with visible light information to compile a clearer picture of the planet's weather. Clouds at different levels tell unique stories. On Earth, for example, ice crystal (cirrus) clouds are found at high altitudes while water (cumulus) clouds are at lower levels.
Besides showing details of the planet's high-altitude clouds, NICMOS also provides a clear view of the ring and the moon, Metis. Jupiter's ring plane, seen nearly edge-on, is visible as a faint line on the upper right portion of the NICMOS image. Metis can be seen in the ring plane (the bright circle on the ring's outer edge). The moon is 25 miles wide and about 80,000 miles from Jupiter.
Because of the near-infrared camera's narrow field of view, this image is a mosaic constructed from three individual images taken Sept. 17, 1997. The color intensity was adjusted to accentuate the high-altitude clouds. The dark circle on the disk of Jupiter (center of image) is an artifact of the imaging system.
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Visible Light
facet_what
Visible Light
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Uranus
facet_what
Uranus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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NICMOS
facet_what
NICMOS
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Multi-Object Spectrometer
facet_what
Multi-Object Spectrometer
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Spectrometer
facet_what
Spectrometer
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
Hubble Space Telescope (HST)
facet_what
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facet_what:
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moon
facet_what
moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS)
facet_what
Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS)
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Uranus
facet_where
Uranus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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New Mexico
facet_where
New Mexico
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Washington, D.C.
facet_where
Washington, D.C.
facet_where
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facet_when:
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November 20, 1997
facet_when
November 20, 1997
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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1997
facet_when_year
1997
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-199 7-37a
UID
SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-199 7-37a
UID
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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Release Date:
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November 20, 1997 12:00 AM (EST)
Release_Date
November 20, 1997 12:00 AM (EST)
Release Date
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