Approaching Jupiter
What would it look like to approach Jupiter?
To help answer this, a team of 91 amateur
astrophotographers took over 1,000 pictures
of Jupiter from the Earth with the resulting images aligned and digitally merged into the featured time-lapse video.
Image taking began in 2014 December and lasted just over three months.
The resulting fictitious approach sequence has similarities to what was seen by NASA's robotic
Juno spacecraft as it
first approached the
Jovian world last July.
The video
begins with Jupiter appearing as a small orb near the image center.
As Jupiter nears from below, the planet looms ever larger while the
rotation of its cloud bands
becomes apparent.
Jupiter's
shrinking Great Red Spot rotates into view twice, at times showing
unusual
activity.
Many white ovals are visible moving around the giant planet.
The video ends as the imaginary spacecraft passes over Jupiter's North Pole.