Last week probe Juno sent a spectacular snapshot of a brilliant green glow caused by a massive lightning strike in a swirling vortex near Jupiter's north pole. This photo was published by NASA on June 16, and it became the object of wide attention of researchers.
As specified, the picture was taken during the 31st flyby of Juno near Jupiter. Scientist Kevin Gill used data from the Yunocam instrument on board the probe and processed the image to make it even clearer and more impressive.
At the time of the survey, the probe was at an altitude of about 32,000 kilometers above the peaks clouds of Jupiter. This made it possible to fix a powerful lightning that occurred in an area containing ammonia and water. Interestingly, lightning on Jupiter most often occurs near the poles, where the conditions for their formation are most favorable, NASA experts note.
The agency also reported that Juno will continue its flybys near Jupiter in the coming months, especially over its night side. This will open up new opportunities for scientific research on lightning on the planet and will expand the boundaries of our understanding of this amazing cosmic phenomenon.