Image 3-8
Jupiter's Giant Storms

This close-up image of Jupiter was captured by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft just 4 days before its closest approach to the planet in 1979. The great red spot and the smaller white spot are gigantic storms in the atmosphere. The great red spot is over 300 years old and was first observed by Galileo in 1610. The smaller white spots were first observed in 1939. The beautiful swirls in the cloud bands are caused by turbulent winds whipping up material from the atmosphere's interior.