25 Jupiter Pictures That Capture The Chaotic Beauty Of Our Solar System’s Largest Planet

Published November 14, 2018
Updated February 27, 2019

These stunning Jupiter pictures, captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft, show the hidden beauty that lurks within the planet's chaotic storms.

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25 Jupiter Pictures That Capture The Chaotic Beauty Of Our Solar System’s Largest Planet
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Ever since NASA's Juno spacecraft began orbiting our solar system's largest planet in 2016, it has turned out countless breathtaking Jupiter pictures, giving researchers and space enthusiasts an unprecedented look at the mysterious planet.

Because Jupiter is a stormy planet with chaotic clouds constantly swirling above its surface, it makes for quite the visual spectacle. The spacecraft has captured a nearly constant stream of photos of this spectacle, and the most recent one has caused a stir on social media with hundreds of people chiming in about what animals, people, and objects they see lurking in the planet's swirling clouds.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab tweeted the stunning photo on Nov. 9 (it was captured 4,400 miles above the planet's surface on Oct. 29), asking their followers what they saw in the clouds and the answers were nothing if not varied.

One user was convinced that they saw a squid.

https://twitter.com/LividLFC/status/1060956485017104384

Another believed that the swirling clouds formed the image of a dragon, and they added their own lines to enhance their argument for those who might not see it right away.

One of the more unique things spotted in the photo by a Twitter user was the Virgin Mary with a diplodocus dinosaur.

https://twitter.com/cantwell14/status/1060946164210634752

Despite what others may see in the clouds, it should be noted that this photo, like the rest of the Jupiter pictures captured by NASA, was enhanced. The raw photos captured by Juno are enhanced in-house at NASA before they are shown to the public. During the enhancement process, the team corrects distortions, adds color, and balances the brightness.

Editing the photos allows the storms and wind currents on the planet to be highlighted in a way that is easier to see, while subtle color changes make the photo more visually stunning. The enhanced Jupiter pictures also allow the minds of space enthusiasts to run wild and speculate over what they see inside.

For the latest batch of photos taken from Juno, NASA enlisted artists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran to touch up the pictures and there was more than one that caused a stir on social media. Doran posted a few of the shots to his Twitter account and one eagle-eyed user was quick to point out the unmistakable form of a dolphin in the clouds.

Dolphin Jupiter

NASA/SwRI/MSSS/Brian Swift/Seán Doran/Skitch by Jennifer Nguyen

No matter what enhancements he's made, Doran is careful to not cross the line between enhancing the photos and completely altering them.

“It’s like peeling back a curtain,” Doran told The Atlantic in 2017 regarding the enhancing of Jupiter pictures. “You just want to reveal what’s there. That’s what motivates me—and I try not to upset the scientists too much.”

Whatever touch-ups occur, these Jupiter pictures have a way of sparking the imaginations of all who see them. Just as we do with our own planet's clouds, people can't help but spot creatures, historical figures, or animals in the stormy clouds covering this most awe-inspiring of planets.


After viewing these Jupiter pictures, take a look at these stunning photos that give the closest-ever look at Jupiter's mysterious red spot. Then, discover the odd phenomenon of moonmoons.

author
Caroline Redmond
author
Caroline is a writer living in New York City who holds a Bachelor's in science from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in People, Yahoo, Bustle, Entertainment Weekly, and The Boston Herald.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.