NASA provides wonderful images. This is a true color portrait of Jupiter, composed from images taken by the Cassini spacecraft on December 29, 2000, during its closest approach to the planet.According to the NASA website: "Everything visible on the planet is a cloud. The parallel reddish-brown and white bands, the white ovals, and the large Great Red Spot persist over many years despite the intense turbulence visible in the atmosphere. The most energetic features are the small, bright clouds to the left of the Great Red Spot and in similar locations in the northern half of the planet. These clouds grow and disappear over a few days and generate lightning. Streaks form as clouds are sheared apart by Jupiter's intense jet streams that run parallel to the colored bands. The prominent dark band in the northern half of the planet is the location of Jupiter's fastest jet stream, with eastward winds of 480 kilometers (300 miles) per hour." "Unlike Earth, where only water condenses to form clouds, Jupiter's clouds are made of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and water."
You can see a scalable version of this Jupiter Portrait on the NASA Images website, where you will find many other extraordinary photographs and visualizations. For more information on the Cassini mission and its images, visit JPL's Cassini pages and the Cassini Imaging website.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
