NASA space probe records bright green lights on Jupiter

Located about a billion kilometers from Earth, the largest planet in our Solar System, Jupiter, is currently being studied by NASA's Juno spacecraft.

This has made an extraordinary observation: a bright green point that emerges from its surface and caused admiration in the scientists who recorded it.

The phenomenon was captured in late 2020, however scientist Kevin M. Gill developed the final image last year from raw data from the JunoCam instrument aboard the spacecraft.

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured the afterglow of lightning in an eddy near Jupiter's north pole. On Earth, lightning originates from water clouds and occurs most frequently near the equator.

However, on Jupiter they are also likely to occur in clouds containing a solution of ammonia and water, and are most often seen near the poles.

Juno captured this image when it completed its 31st close flyby of Jupiter on December 30, 2020. Scientist Kevin M. Gill developed the final image in 2022 from raw data from the JunoCam instrument aboard the spacecraft.

At the time the image was taken, Juno was about 20,000 miles above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a latitude of about 78 degrees as it approached the planet.

Juno's ongoing research will help scientists better understand the largest planet in the solar system and its peculiarities.

In the coming months, Juno's orbits will bring it steadily close to Jupiter as the spacecraft passes over the night side of the giant planet, providing even more opportunities for NASA's Juno mission to catch lightning on the spot.

In fact, Juno has multiple instruments capable of detecting phenomena under Jupiter's thick cloud cover with the aim of collecting data on the planet's origins, atmosphere and meteorological phenomena.