JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

A Sixth Cyclone Has Joined the Configuration of Circumpolar Cyclones at Jupiter's South Pole

Dec. 12, 2019
Context Image
Larger image for PIA23608
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this image of a sixth circumpolar cyclone in the cluster around Jupiter's south pole.
Context Image
Larger image for PIA23608

A series of JunoCam images from Juno's 23rd close pass by Jupiter (Perijove 23) on Nov. 3, 2019 has revealed a sixth circumpolar cyclone in the cluster around Jupiter's south pole. A single cyclone is located close to the geographic south pole, and until now it has been surrounded by five cyclones. The five cyclones were discovered in images acquired early in the Juno mission, but their positioning was never a perfect pentagon. There was always a gap between cyclones 1 and 2 that varied in extent. Now number six has drifted into that gap, forming a nearly-perfect pentagon. The new cyclone had been observed previously nearby.

Close examination at high resolution (figure 1) reveals cyclonic motion in the dark center. The dark core is 870 miles (1,400 kilometers across), with the bright outer ring at 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) in diameter.

Will it stay or drift out again? Scientists are looking forward to seeing images from the next close pass!

JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at
https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing.

More information about Juno is at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Jupiter
Spacecraft
  • Juno
Instrument
  • JunoCam
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Keep Exploring

Looking for Eruptions at Jupiter's Moon Europa

NASA's Juno Mission Captures Swirls in Jovian Storms

Juno Zooms in on Jupiter's Moon Ganymede

NASA's Juno Mission Captures Images of Europa

Jupiter's Moon Io Seen in Infrared Light

JunoCam Captures a Northern Jet on Jupiter

NASA's Juno Mission Explores the Magnetic Connection Between Jupiter and Ganymede

NASA's Juno Views Northern Cyclones on Jupiter

JunoCam Close-Up of Europa

Juno Offers a Window Seat for a Jupiter Flyby

Related Topic

News .

NASA’s Psyche Mission Continues Preparation for Launch in 2023

Event Feb. 16, 2023 .

Perseverance: Two Years on Mars

Mission .

Ranger 1

News .

NASA’s Lunar Flashlight Team Assessing Spacecraft’s Propulsion System

News .

NASA Explores a Winter Wonderland on Mars

News .

Juno Spacecraft Recovering Memory After 47th Flyby of Jupiter

News .

NASA Retires InSight Mars Lander Mission After Years of Science

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Deposits First Sample on Mars Surface

Mission .

Lunar Trailblazer

News .

40-Year Study Finds Mysterious Patterns in Temperatures at Jupiter

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018