The photograph, taken on September 7, showcases a region in Jupiter’s far northern area known as Jet N7. This region displays a series of swirling clouds and tumultuous storms that together form a spooky, stretched-out face, making Jupiter seem as if it’s donned a Halloween mask.
Juno captured this image during its 54th close approach to Jupiter, from a height of approximately 4,800 miles (7,700 kilometers) and at a latitude near 69 degrees north. The photographed region is situated along Jupiter’s terminator, the boundary separating the planet’s day and night sides. This positioning causes Jupiter to seemingly merge into the black expanse of space, as described by Nasa officials.
On October 25, just ahead of Halloween, Nasa unveiled this chilling image, likening it to a Cubist artwork and paying homage to the legendary artist Pablo Picasso. “We present this @NasaSolarSystem image on Oct. 25 — coinciding with what would have been Picasso’s 142nd birthday,” Nasa mentioned in a post on X (previously known as Twitter).
In the image, Jupiter’s swirling clouds appear to craft a grimacing human face, with half of the image shrouded in the planet’s night side, making it seem as if the face is peeking from behind a doorway, as described by Nasa on Instagram.
Citizen scientist Vladimir Tarasov processed the image using raw data from JunoCam. Juno’s images are publicly accessible, and Nasa encourages the public to assist in analyzing the vast data the spacecraft gathers.
The low sunlight angle in the image accentuates the intricate topographical features of this region, which have been studied by scientists to gain insights into the atmospheric dynamics of Jupiter, as explained by Nasa officials.
Jupiter’s atmosphere is known for its swirling clouds, a result of the planet’s tempestuous weather patterns. These powerful atmospheric storms give rise to strong jet stream winds, producing both cyclones and anticyclones, the space.com said in a report.
From Juno’s perspective, the image seems to depict two sunken eyes, a twisted nose, and grimacing lips amidst the swirling clouds, making Jupiter appear as if it’s sporting a spooky Halloween mask, the space.com said.
Nasa officials highlighted that such images from Juno often induce pareidolia, a phenomenon where observers discern faces or patterns in random configurations. Other celestial instances of pareidolia include the renowned “Face on Mars” and various “animals” on Mars that some online detectives believe they’ve identified in photos captured by Nasa’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.