Jupiter Swirls
Date: 5 Mar 1979

This close-up of swirling clouds around Jupiter's Great Red Spot was taken by Voyager 1. It was assembled from three black and white negatives.


Voyager 1 and 2 provided unprecedented information about the Jovian atmosphere, system of rings and moons.


During the Jupiter leg of their journey, Voyager 1 and 2 explored the giant planet, its magnetosphere and moons in far greater detail than had the Pioneer spacecraft that preceded it. Both spacecraft also used Jupiter's gravity as a springboard to Saturn and beyond.


The spacecraft returned spectacular photos of the entire Jovian system, and time-lapse movies made from its images of Jupiter showed how the planet had changed between the Voyager visits.


Last Update: 11 Apr 2011 (AMB)

Credit: NASA/JPL