The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft spotted these huge swirling storms in the high clouds of Jupiter. Unlike most of the spacecraft’s instruments, JunoCam is not essential to the mission’s core science goals. It was just added for outreach – to engage the public with dramatic images of the gas giant. JunoCam was not, therefore, protected from radiation as much as the other instruments, but it has lasted far longer than expected. In fact, JunoCam continues to spot clouds on Jupiter with such clarity and resolution that scientists now routinely use its data for real atmospheric research: studying cloud structure, storm dynamics, and atmospheric motion across the planet’s turbulent upper layers.

Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY