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Credit & Copyright: Aurölien Genin
Explanation:
Jupiter, our Solar System's ruling gas giant, is also the
fastest
spinning planet,
rotating once in less than 10 hours.
The gas giant doesn't rotate like a solid body though.
A day on Jupiter
is about 9 hours and 56 minutes long at the poles,
decreasing to 9 hours and 50 minutes near the equator.
The giant planet's fast rotation creates
strong
jet streams,
separating its clouds into planet girdling bands
of dark belts and bright zones.
You can easily follow Jupiter's rapid rotation
in this sharp sequence of images
from the night of January 15, all taken with a camera and small
telescope outside of Paris, France.
Located just south of the equator, the giant planet's giant storm
system, also known as
the Great
Red Spot,
can be seen moving left to right
with the planet's rotation.
From lower left to upper right, the sequence spans about 2 hours and 30
minutes.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Jupiter
Publications with words: Jupiter
See also: