Planetary Picture of the Day
Week of June 03, 2024
Amazing images this week of light pillars, ice floes, clouds on Jupiter, and the shadow of a Mars rover.
Monday, 17 June 2024
Light Pillars
Pillars of light were observed near Daisen, a coastal town in Japan. These light pillars are caused by an atmospheric optical phenomenon in which a vertical beam of light appears to extend above and/or below a light source. The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere or that comprise high-altitude clouds (e.g. cirrostratus or cirrus clouds). Usually, we talk about sun pillars, but there are terrestrial sources as well. In this particular case, the cause of this beautiful display was actually lights placed on squid fishing boats to attract larger catches. As temperatures cool overnight, crystals sometimes form in the air. If the conditions are just right, large crystals will form without precipitation, and you’ll see these pillars of light.
Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Jovian Cloud Tops
This enhanced color view of Jupiter's cloud tops was processed by citizen scientist Bjorn Jonsson using data from the JunoCam instrument on NASA's Juno spacecraft. The image highlights a massive counterclockwise rotating storm that appears as a white oval in the gas giant's southern hemisphere. Juno acquired this image on Feb. 2, 2017, at 6:13 a.m. PDT (9:13 a.m. EDT), as the spacecraft performed a close flyby of Jupiter. When the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 14,500 kilometers from the planet.
Thursday, 20 June 2024
Sea Ice Swirls
NASA’s Terra satellite captured floating fragments of sea ice as ocean currents carried them south along Greenland’s east coast on June 4, 2024. This ice traveled from the Fram Strait, a 450-kilometer (280-mile)-wide passage between Greenland and Svalbard, to the Arctic Ocean. Along the journey, it breaks into smaller pieces and starts to melt in warmer ocean waters, creating the wispy patterns seen here.
Friday, 21 June 2024
Shadow of a Martian Robot
What if you saw your shadow on Mars and it wasn't human? Then you might be the Perseverance rover exploring Mars. Perseverance has been examining the Red Planet since 2021, finding evidence of its complex history of volcanism and ancient flowing water, and sending breathtaking images across the inner Solar System. Pictured here in February of 2024, Perseverance looks opposite the Sun and across Neretva Vallis in Jezero Crater, with a local hill visible at the top of the frame. The distinctively non-human shadow of the car-sized rover is visible below center, superposed on scattered rocks. Perseverance, now working without its flying companion Ingenuity, continues to search Mars for signs of ancient life.
