Chandra Release - March 1, 2007

Visual Description: Jupiter

 This X-ray and optical image features Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. In the image, Jupiter is shown as a large, bright greyscale object against a dark background. The planet has a bright little purple goatee or chin strip shape at its southern pole, and a larger tuft of smooth purple-white “hair” at its north pole.  The purple represents the X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Chandra's observations were superimposed on an image of Jupiter from the Hubble Space Telescope. The purpose of the Chandra observations is to study the powerful X-ray auroras observed near the north and south poles of Jupiter. These are thought to be caused by the interaction of sulfur and oxygen ions in the outer regions of the Jovian magnetic field with particles flowing away from the Sun in the so-called solar wind.