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Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) from 1996
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NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic
PIA00844
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) acquired this global mosaic (right) at a spatial resolution of 100 km during Galileo's third orbit on November 4, 1996, roughly 7.5 hours prior to Callisto closest approach. The lighter bluish area in the upper latitudes is the Asgard multi-ring structure (the second largest surface feature on Callisto) with crater Burr to the north and Tornasuk to the east. The bluish color indicates regions with more exposed water ice while the reddish/rusty color indicates surface areas rich in non-ice minerals. Spectra: * Click on Asgard to view a sample spectrum of this region. This spectrum shows a higher abundance of ice between 1 and 2 microns. * Click on the dark terrain to view sample spectra of Callisto's surface which shows more "rocky" material and less ice. * Click here to compare the two spectra. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic
PIA00844
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) acquired this global mosaic (right) at a spatial resolution of 100 km during Galileo's third orbit on November 4, 1996, roughly 7.5 hours prior to Callisto closest approach. The lighter bluish area in the upper latitudes is the Asgard multi-ring structure (the second largest surface feature on Callisto) with crater Burr to the north and Tornasuk to the east. The bluish color indicates regions with more exposed water ice while the reddish/rusty color indicates surface areas rich in non-ice minerals. Spectra: * Click on Asgard to view a sample spectrum of this region. This spectrum shows a higher abundance of ice between 1 and 2 microns. * Click on the dark terrain to view sample spectra of Callisto's surface which shows more "rocky" material and less ice. * Click here to compare the two spectra. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic
PIA00844
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) acquired this global mosaic (right) at a spatial resolution of 100 km during Galileo's third orbit on November 4, 1996, roughly 7.5 hours prior to Callisto closest approach. The lighter bluish area in the upper latitudes is the Asgard multi-ring structure (the second largest surface feature on Callisto) with crater Burr to the north and Tornasuk to the east. The bluish color indicates regions with more exposed water ice while the reddish/rusty color indicates surface areas rich in non-ice minerals. Spectra: * Click on Asgard to view a sample spectrum of this region. This spectrum shows a higher abundance of ice between 1 and 2 microns. * Click on the dark terrain to view sample spectra of Callisto's surface which shows more "rocky" material and less ice. * Click here to compare the two spectra. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic
PIA00844
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Callisto Global Mosaic |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) acquired this global mosaic (right) at a spatial resolution of 100 km during Galileo's third orbit on November 4, 1996, roughly 7.5 hours prior to Callisto closest approach. The lighter bluish area in the upper latitudes is the Asgard multi-ring structure (the second largest surface feature on Callisto) with crater Burr to the north and Tornasuk to the east. The bluish color indicates regions with more exposed water ice while the reddish/rusty color indicates surface areas rich in non-ice minerals. Spectra: * Click on Asgard to view a sample spectrum of this region. This spectrum shows a higher abundance of ice between 1 and 2 microns. * Click on the dark terrain to view sample spectra of Callisto's surface which shows more "rocky" material and less ice. * Click here to compare the two spectra. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Compositional Variations in
PIA01128
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Compositional Variations in Callisto's Asgard Impact Structure |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These frames combine data from two of the instruments aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The left image is from the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system and the right frame shows data from the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) overlaid on the SSI data. North is to the top of the images. The area to the northeast (upper right corner) of the NIMS observation shows the southwest part of the ancient impact structure Asgard [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00517 ] on Jupiter's moon Callisto. The Asgard multi-ring system has a central bright zone approximately 230 km (140 miles) across, surrounded by concentric rings out to 800 km (480 miles). The rings are fractured parts of the surface with scarps near the central zone and troughs at the outer margin. Impact craters ranging in size down to the limit of resolution are visible throughout the image. The NIMS observation of a small section of the Asgard terrain reveals compositional variations over the surface of Callisto. Red indicates a high concentration of clean ice at the floor of an impact crater while blue shows large amounts of non-ice material on the surrounding surface. The data in these images were taken on November 4, 1996, at a distance of 111,891 kilometers (69,900 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system and 17,920 kilometers (11,200 miles) by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its third orbit around Jupiter. The area seen in the SSI image is 440 kilometers by 440 kilometers across at 1.1 kilometers per picture element (pixel) resolution, centered near 17 North, 153 West, while the resolution for the NIMS observation is 8 kilometers per pixel. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo. |
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Volcanically Active Regions
PIA00537
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Volcanically Active Regions on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Shown here is a portion of one of the highest-resolution images of Io (Latitude: +10 to +60 degrees, Longitude: 180 to 225 degrees) acquired by the Galileo spacecraft, revealing immense lava flows and other volcanic landforms. Several high-temperature volcanic hot spots have been detected in this region by both the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer and the imaging system of Galileo. The temperatures are consistent with active silicate volcanism in lava flows or lava lakes (which reside inside irregular depressions called calderas). The large dark lava flow in the upper left region of the image is more than 400 km long, similar to ancient flood basalts on Earth and mare lavas on the Moon. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the left. The image covers an area 1230 kilometers wide and the smallest features that can be discerned are 2.5 kilometers in size. This image was taken on November 6th, 1996, at a range of 245,719 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system on the Galileo Spacecraft. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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NIMS: hotspots on Io during
PIA00520
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS: hotspots on Io during G2 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on the Galileo spacecraft imaged Io at high spectral resolution at a range of 439,000 km (275,000 miles) during the G2 encounter on 7 September 1996. This image shows (on the right) Io as seen in the infrared by NIMS. The image on the left shows the same view from Voyager in 1979. This NIMS image can be compared to the NIMS images from the G1 orbit (June 1996) to monitor changes on Io. The NIMS image is at 4.9 microns, showing thermal emissions from the hotspots. The brightness of the pixels is a function of size and temperature. At least 10 hotspots have been identified and can be matched with surface features. An accurate determination of the position of the hotspot in the vicinity of Shamash Patera is pending. Hotspots are seen in the vicinity of Prometheus, Volund and Marduk, all sites of volcanic plume activity during the Galileo encounters, and also of active plumes in 1979. Temperatures and areas have been calculated for the hotspots shown. Temperatures range from 828 K (1031 F) to 210 K (- 81.4 F). The lowest temperature is significantly higher than the Io background (non-hotspot) surface temperature of about 100 K (-279 F). Hotspot areas range from 6.5 square km (2.5 sq miles) to 40,000 sq km (15,400 sq miles). The hottest hotspots have smallest areas, and the cooler hotspots have the largest areas. NIMS is continuing to observe Io to monitor volcanic activity throughout the Galileo mission. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Spectral Maps of Jupite
PIA00501
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Spectral Maps of Jupiter's Great Red Spot |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) instrument looks at Jupiter's Great Red Spot, in these views from June 26, 1996. NIMS studies infrared wavelengths of light that our eye cannot see. These maps are at four different infrared wavelengths, each one picked to reveal something different about the atmosphere. The top image is a false color map of a wavelength that is at the red edge of our ability to see. It shows the shapes of features that we would see with our eyes. The second map is of ammonia ice, red showing where the most ice is, blue where none exists. The differences between this and the first image are due to the amount and size of ammonia ice crystals. The third map down is from a wavelength that shows cloud heights, with the highest clouds in red, and the lowest in blue. The bottom map uses a wavelength that shows the hot Jupiter shining through the clouds. Red represents the thinnest clouds, and blue is thickest where it is more difficult to see below. Comparing the bottom two images, note that the highest clouds are in the center of the Great Red Spot, while there are relatively few clouds around the edges. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS: hotspots on Io during
PIA00845
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS: hotspots on Io during G2 (continued) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This is another Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) image of Io, taken during the G2 encounter in September 1996. This is a dayside image of Io (on the right) against the clouds of Jupiter (the blue background). On the left is a Voyager mosaic of Io with the same viewing geometry for comparison purposes. This NIMS data set has been processed to highlight the positions of hot spots on the surface of Io. At least 11 can be seen. Two of the hotspots are newly discovered by the NIMS instrument. Others correspond to sites of plume eruptions and volcanic calderas and volcanic flows. This image can be compared with the SSI image P-47971 released on October 23, 1996, which was taken almost exactly the same position. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS G1 Observation of Europ
PIA00834
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS G1 Observation of Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on the Galileo spacecraft imaged most of Europa, including the north polar regions, at high spectral resolution at a range of 156,000 km (97,500 miles) during the G1 encounter on June 28 1996. The image on the right shows Europa as seen by NIMS, centered on 25 degrees N latitude, 220 W longitude. This is the hemisphere that always faces away from Jupiter. The image on the left shows the same view point from the Voyager data (from the encounters in 1979 and 1980). The NIMS image is in the 1.5 micron water band, in the infrared part of the spectrum. Comparison of the two images, infrared to visible, shows a marked brightness contrast in the NIMS 1.5 micron water band from area to area on the surface of Europa, demonstrating the sensitivity of NIMS to compositional changes. NIMS spectra show surface compositions ranging from pure water ice to mixtures of water and other minerals which appear bright in the infrared. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA'is Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS E4 Observations of Euro
PIA00846
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS E4 Observations of Europa Trailing Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) observations of selected areas of Europa's trailing hemisphere during the Galileo E4 encounter on 19 December 1996. The NIMS data are projected onto a Voyager mosaic created from images taken in 1979. The spatial resolution of the NIMS images is approximately 3 km/pixel, four times better than those from Voyager. These NIMS observations are designed to search for mineralogical differences between high and low albedo regions. Observation E4ENSUCOMP03, for example, targets a series of double linea and the surrounding area in the northern latitudes of Europa. The linea seen in the visible by Voyager can be traced through the NIMS images, shown here at a 0.7 microns, a wavelength beyond human vision. The NIMS spectra show the surface of Europa is coated with a combination of water ice and hydrated minerals. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Observation of Hotspots
PIA00835
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Observation of Hotspots on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Io has been imaged by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on Galileo. The image on the right shows for the first time the distribution of volcanic hotspots on the surface of Io, as seen by NIMS. Three of these hotspots are new discoveries, only detectable with the NIMS instrument. This image was taken during the G1 encounter on June 29 1996. The image on the left shows the same view of Io as seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. At least one dozen hotspots have been identified from this NIMS image. Most of the hotspot locations can be matched with volcanic features on the surface of Io, including the vent area of the active Prometheus plume. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Hotspots on Io During the Ga
PIA00836
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
Hotspots on Io During the Ganymede 2 Encounter |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on the Galileo spacecraft imaged Io at high spectral resolution at a range of 439,000 km (275,000 miles) during the G2 encounter on 6 September 1996. This image shows, on the right, Io as seen by NIMS, centered on 150 W longitude. The image on the left shows the same view point from Voyager data (from the encounters in 1979 and 1980). The NIMS image can be compared to the NIMS hotspot image from the G1 orbit (June 1996) to monitor changes on Io. The most dramatic feature of the G2 image is the hotspot at Malik Patera. Preliminary analysis of the data yields a temperature of at least 1000 K (727 C) for this hotspot, an increase of more than 300 K from the G1 encounter. In the overlap area of the G1 and G2 images all the hotspots seen during the G1 encounter are also seen in the G2 image. Other hotspots were seen, including one at the Pele plume origin site. This image is at the 4 micron band to best view the Malik hotspot. Most of the other hotspots are best seen at longer wavelengths. NIMS is continuing to observe Io to monitor volcanic activity throughout the Galileo mission. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Lack of visible change aroun
PIA01065
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Lack of visible change around active hotspots on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes around two hotspots on Jupiter's moon Io as seen by Voyager 1 in April 1979 (left) and NASA's Galileo spacecraft on September 7th, 1996 (middle and right). The right frame was created with images from the Galileo Solid State Imaging system's near-infrared (756 nm), green, and violet filters. For better comparison, the middle frame mimics Voyager colors. The calderas at the top and at the lower right of the images correspond to the locations of hotspots detected by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Galileo spacecraft during its second orbit. There are no significant morphologic changes around these hot calderas, however, the diffuse red deposits, which are simply dark in the Voyager colors, appear to be associated with recent and/or ongoing volcanic activity. The three calderas range in size from approximately 100 kilometers to approximately 150 kilometers in diameter. The caldera in the lower right of each frame is named Malik. North is to the top of all frames. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ammonia Ice near Jupiter's G
PIA02569
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
Ammonia Ice near Jupiter's Great Red Spot |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The first discrete ammonia ice cloud positively identified on Jupiter is shown in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Ammonia ice (light blue) is shown in clouds to the northwest (upper left) of the Great Red Spot (large red spot in middle of figure). This unusual cloud, inside the turbulent wake region near the Great Red Spot, is produced by powerful updrafts of ammonia-laden air from deep within Jupiter's atmosphere. These updrafts are generated by the turbulence induced in Jupiter's massive westward-moving air currents by the nearby Great Red Spot. This false-color image was composed from several near-infrared color images obtained by the Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer on June 26, 1996. Reddish-orange areas show high-level clouds, yellow areas depict mid-level clouds, and green areas depict lower-level clouds. Darker areas are cloud-free regions. Light blue depicts regions of middle-to-high-altitude-level ammonia ice clouds. The Great Red Spot, which has existed for at least 300 years, is the oldest and largest weather system in our solar system. It measures over 20,000 kilometers wide (over 12,400 miles), which is about twice as wide as Earth. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Myriad of Hot Spots on Io
PIA02558
Jupiter
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
Myriad of Hot Spots on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Changes in the volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io can be seen in these three views, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its three flybys of Io in October 1999, November 1999 and February 2000. All the images show the active volcanoes as bright yellow, corresponding to hot lava flows that appear glowing in infrared wavelengths. The three views were taken by the spacecraft's near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument and show the comparison of a typical low-resolution observation to the high-resolution views. The regional observations taken during the recent Io flybys are superimposed on an image taken during Galileo in 1996. The Prometheus volcano is seen near the middle of all three images. Before the recent flybys, only Prometheus and three other volcanoes were known to be active in this region. After these and other high-resolution observations, scientists were able to detect 14 volcanoes in the same area. The fainter volcanoes (hot spots) show some significant changes over intervals of 1 to 3 months. The area shown by all three observations put together is about 2 million square kilometers (about 770,000 square miles) and covers about 5 percent of Io's surface. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Jupiter's Multi-level Clouds
PIA00582
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
Jupiter's Multi-level Clouds |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Clouds and hazes at various altitudes within the dynamic Jovian atmosphere are revealed by multi-color imaging taken by the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) onboard the Galileo spacecraft. These images were taken during the second orbit (G2) on September 5, 1996 from an early-morning vantage point 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) above Jupiter. They show the planet's appearance as viewed at various near-infrared wavelengths, with distinct differences due primarily to variations in the altitudes and opacities of the cloud systems. The top left and right images, taken at 1.61 microns and 2.73 microns respectively, show relatively clear views of the deep atmosphere, with clouds down to a level about three times the atmospheric pressure at the Earth's surface. By contrast, the middle image in top row, taken at 2.17 microns, shows only the highest altitude clouds and hazes. This wavelength is severely affected by the absorption of light by hydrogen gas, the main constituent of Jupiter's atmosphere. Therefore, only the Great Red Spot, the highest equatorial clouds, a small feature at mid-northern latitudes, and thin, high photochemical polar hazes can be seen. In the lower left image, at 3.01 microns, deeper clouds can be seen dimly against gaseous ammonia and methane absorption. In the lower middle image, at 4.99 microns, the light observed is the planet's own indigenous heat from the deep, warm atmosphere. The false color image (lower right) succinctly shows various cloud and haze levels seen in the Jovian atmosphere. This image indicates the temperature and altitude at which the light being observed is produced. Thermally-rich red areas denote high temperatures from photons in the deep atmosphere leaking through minimal cloud cover, green denotes cool temperatures of the tropospheric clouds, blue denotes cold of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The polar regions appear purplish, because small-particle hazes allow leakage and reflectivity, while yellowish regions at temperate latitudes may indicate tropospheric clouds with small particles which also allow leakage. A mix of high and low-altitude aerosols causes the aqua appearance of the Great Red Spot and equatorial region. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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First Near Infrared Mapping
PIA00838
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
First Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) Image of the Great Red Spot |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Jupiter's Great Red Spot has different colors than what you normally see. This is because it was recorded by an instrument that looks at infrared "light" (rather than visible), the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) in late June, 1996. Red, green, and blue colors were chosen to represent what the NIMS "eye" saw at three different infrared wavelengths, which were picked because they reveal the differences in Jupiter's cloud heights. The yellow-green tinge of the Great Red Spot indicates the cloud particles are higher relative to the surrounding region, and shows structure within the red spot itself. The blue regions indicate a thinning of the clouds there. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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NIMS Views of a Jovian "Hot
PIA00848
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared Mapping Spectr
| Title |
NIMS Views of a Jovian "Hot Spot |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These four Galileo/NIMS near-infrared images of a small portion of the equatorial region of Jupiter show a dark clearing of clouds in the meteorologically-active troposphere of Jupiter. This region constitutes a "hot spot", a nearly-clear area devoid of thick ammonia clouds which allows Jupiter's indigenous heat radiation to shine through at 5 microns (not shown). These features are thought to be areas of downwelling, dry (low ammonia and water humidity) air. The second image from the top, taken at a wavelength sensitive to methane absorption, has muted contrast, showing that a high-level optically-thin haze layer overlies the entire region. All other images, taken over a large range of methane-insensitive wavelengths from 0.76 to 2.74 microns, reveal such 5 micron bright hotspots as actually being dark in reflected sunlight, confirming clearings in the bright reflective surrounding cloud layer and perhaps indicating absorption by clouds and/or gases at relatively deep levels in the atmosphere. These images were acquired December 17, 1996 from a distance of 1.43 million kilometers above the cloudtops. The large dark clearing near the middle of the image is approximately 7000 km wide in the east-west direction and 4000 km tall in the north-south direction, about twice the size of the continental U. S. Images shown are at 0.76, 1.61, 1.99, and 2.74 microns, proceeding from top to bottom. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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