These Cassini imaging observations are the first to capture Jupiter's southern aurora on the planet's night side. Unlike Earth's aurorae, which are driven by solar activity, Jupiter's aurorae are caused by processes inside the Jovian magnetosphere. It is not understood why the auroral oval rings are so thin. Cassini's many images of this phenomenon will help unravel what brings about the narrow nature and other features of the aurorae, such as the break in the northern oval visible in the upper image. The arrow indicates Himalia.
North is up.
The left is natural color, composited to yield the color that Jupiter would have if seen by the naked eye. The combination yields an image whose colors denote the height of the clouds. This is the first time that global images of Jupiter in all the methane and attendant continuum filters have been acquired by a spacecraft. From images like these, the stratigraphy of Jupiter's dynamic atmosphere will be determined. The images have been enhanced in contrast.