New photos of Jupiter, received from the Hubble Space Telescope, have allowed astronomers to draw a new map of the planet, as well as discover a sensational find.
Hubble has been observing Space for the past 25 years. Having survived several catastrophic failures and damage, it continues to send back unique photos to Earth. In 2018, Hubble will be succeeded by the several times more powerful James Webb Telescope. This is the reason why Hubble has been given new missions, such as the planets of our Solar System. The images were taken using the wide angle camera on the telescope which was mounted during the last servicing mission.
The photos of Jupiter have enabled scientists to create a new and more detailed map of the planet. It contains never-before-seen details. One of the discoveries is an unusual wave just north of the planet's equator, as well as a unique filament-like feature at the very heart of the Great Red Spot - a hurricane 3 times larger than Earth, which has been raging on for hundreds of years on the gas giant.
All evidence confirms the theory that the Great Red Spot has begun shrinking. The pictures are available for view on the website of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
From the received photos, NASA has created a 4K video of the planet's rotation. For the past month, the administration has been putting efforts in spreading more UHD footage in YouTube, as well as create a new special 4K TV channel.
The imaging, such as this one of Jupiter, is being done in an attempt to determine the chemical composition of the atmospheres, the movement of the storms, clouds and winds on the given planet. The new program will be studying the other planets of the Solar System, going on to analyze Uranus, Neptune and Saturn. This will allow scientists to monitor the changes of our neighboring planets over the years.
