Space & Astronomy

NASA's Juno spacecraft photographs creepy 'face' on Jupiter

By T.K. Randall
October 27, 2023

Image: Jupiter
Credit: (PD) NASA/STSCI (S.T.A.R.S) Captured on camera during Juno's 54th flyby of Jupiter on September 7th, this striking image shows turbulent clouds and storms along the planet's terminator (the line dividing its day and night sides).

Particularly intriguing is the appearance of a face in the image - with two large, dark eyes at the top, a nose in the center and a pair of lips toward the bottom.

In actuality, of course, this is little more than a case of pareidolia - the brain's natural tendency to make out meaningful shapes in otherwise abstract patterns."Citizen scientist Vladimir Tarasov made this image using raw data from the JunoCam instrument," NASA wrote on its website.

"At the time the raw image was taken, the Juno spacecraft was about 4,800 miles (about 7,700 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a latitude of about 69 degrees north."

"The low angle of sunlight highlights the complex topography of features in this region, which scientists have studied to better understand the processes playing out in Jupiter's atmosphere."

Source: NASA

Tags: Jupiter