Jupiter

This pair of images shows the planet Jupiter before (left - June 24, 1994) and after (right July 19, 1994) fragments of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 struck the planet in 1994. The disk of the planet is in the center of the images. The bright red spots are regions high above Jupiter's "surface" where electrons interacting with the planet's intense magnetic field are producing strong radio emission. These "radiation belts" are similar to the Van Allen Radiation Belts discovered above the Earth in 1958. The pair of images shows the effect of the comet impacts on this pattern of radio emission.

Legacy Astronomical Images

NRAO/AUI/NSF does not hold full copyright for this image. Contact the archivist for details.

Legacy Astronomical Image

Jupiter

Imke de Pater, UCB/VLA/NRAO

Imke de Pater

Very Large Array (VLA)

1994-07-00

continuum

L

20 cm

1.4 GHz

RA 25:0:0.000, Dec: 0:0:0.000 (J2000)

Solar System Series

Planets Unit