Combined ultraviolet- and visible-light images of Jupiter from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope were taken from February 17-21 in support of the New Horizons flyby of Jupiter on February 28. The image segments in the boxes were obtained using Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys’s ultraviolet camera. The ultraviolet images show auroral emissions that are always present in the polar regions of Jupiter. They are typically 10-100 times brighter than the northern lights seen on the Earth. The aurorae are produced when charged particles from the Sun become trapped in Jupiter’s powerful magnetic field. They cause gasses to fluoresce high in Jupiter’s atmosphere, near the planet’s magnetic poles. The equatorial regions of Jupiter in this photo were imaged in blue light on February 17, 2007 by the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. This reveals cloud features in Jupiter’s main atmosphere. In the ultraviolet views, the atmosphere looks more hazy because sunlight is reflected from higher in the atmosphere. Hubble will continue to photograph Jupiter as well as its volcanically active moon, Io, over the next month as the New Horizons spacecraft flies past Jupiter. New Horizons is en route to Pluto, and made its closest approach to Jupiter on February 28, 2007. Through combined remote imaging by Hubble and in situ measurements by New Horizons, the two missions will enhance each other scientifically, allowing scientists to learn more about the Jovian atmosphere, the aurorae, and the charged-particle environment of Jupiter and its interaction with the solar wind. For more information, contact: Ray Villard Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md. 410-338-4514 (phone), villard@stsci.edu (e-mail) John Clarke Boston University, Boston, Mass. 617-353-0247 (phone), jclarke@bu.edu (e-mail)
Object Name:
Jupiter
Acknowledgement:
*Credit:* NASA [ http://www.spacetel…], and John Clarke (Boston University)
Fast Facts:
Technical facts about this news release: About the Object Object Name: Jupiter Object Description: Planet Distance: The semi-major axis of Jupiter’s orbit about the sun is 5.2 Astronomical Units (778 million km or 483 million miles). Dimensions: The planet has a diameter of roughly 88,789 miles (142,984 km) at the equator. About the Data/Images The Equatorial Regions of Jupiter Jupiter’s Northern Aurora Jupiter’s Southern Aurora Proposal: 11096 (PI: Noll) 10862 (PI: Clark) 10871 (PI: Spencer) Instrument: WFPC2 ACS/SBC WFPC2 Exposure Date(s): February 17, 2007 February 20/21, 2007 February 14, 2007 Filters: 410nm, 673nm 115nm, 125nm 255nm, 410nm, 569nm, 791nm Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI) NASA, ESA, and J. Clarke (Boston University) NASA, ESA, and J. Spencer (SwRI) About the Release Release Date: March 1, 1007 Orientation: [ http://imgsrc.hubbl…]
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*Image Type:*: Astronomical/Illustr ation
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*Release Date*:March 1, 2007 10:00 AM (EST)
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*News Release Number:*: STScI-2007-11a
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*Title*:Hubble Monitors Jupiter in Support of the New Horizons Flyby
facet_what:
Jupiter
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Sun
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Earth
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Camera 2
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Pluto
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Io
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Moon
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Wide Field Planetary Camera 2
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Polar
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Aurorae
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COMPASS
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Aura
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New Horizons
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Jupiter
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Pluto
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Boston
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February 17, 2007
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February 14, 2007
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March 1, 1007
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March 1, 2007
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February 28, 2007
facet_when_year:
2007
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1007
UID:
SPD-HUBBLE-STScI-200 7-11a
original url:
http://hubblesite.o…
Release Date:
March 1, 2007 10:00 AM (EST)
Image ID:
115046
Resolution Size:
3
Format:
JPEG
Media Type:
Image
File Name:
web.jpg
Width:
400
Height:
500
Tags: galaxy, Hubble Monitors Jupiter in Support of the New Horizons Flyby, nasa, photo, space, star, Universe
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