Anatomy of Jupiter

The Dark BeltsSinking cloud

The browner stripes are belts — bands where cloud sinks and warms, wrapped right around the planet by its ferocious winds.

The Bright ZonesRising cloud

The paler bands between the belts are zones, where cooler gas rises. The stripes are Jupiter's weather, stretched into ribbons by its ten-hour spin.

The Great Red SpotBeyond this frame

Somewhere in these clouds turns a storm wider than the whole Earth, raging for centuries. It simply wasn’t facing us when this was taken.

The Galilean MoonsBeyond this frame

Four giant moons circle Jupiter, shifting visibly from night to night. They sat outside this particular view.