Jaw-dropping images of Jupiter from the James Webb Space Telescope

Chances are, if you have been outside on a clear night after sunset and facing east, you’ve seen this suspiciously bright light in the sky. Is it a plane or satellite? Is it a satellite or a plane? If it slowly rises and barely twinkles then you are probably seeing Jupiter.

Jupiter is enormous. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, with an equatorial radius of around 88,000 miles and a weight 318 times greater than Earth.

Jupiter is not a solid, solid planet like Earth. The majority of the planet's massive mass is made up of hydrogen gas and a little bit of helium. The surface that you see in pictures is only the upper layer of hydrogen clouds – Jupiter’s ever-changing weather – complete with the Great Red Spot.

The Great Red Spot, a raging cyclone, rotates counterclockwise at over 200 miles an hour. Two Earths could easily fit into the Great Red Spot.

"Earthlings should have a better night':NASA's DART spacecraft crashes into an asteroid in its first planetary defense test

Grownups must take a quiz!A 11-year old interviewed an astronomer to find out more about Pluto's status. The result is ????

NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been circling Jupiter since July 2016. Its mission is to continuously skim just above the atmosphere, and explore the composition of Jupiter's magnetic field. From its lofty perch, Juno has sent incredibly detailed images of violent tempests carried along by Jupiter’s rapid rotation rate.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is used by astronomers to capture stunning close-up images. These images show Jupiter in false color to better showcase its turbulent cloud tops, swirling storms, and massive size. JWST also captured auroras, which are the northern and southern lights that often ignite the polar regions. Like Earth, Jupiter has a magnetic field which can trap solar particles in its upper atmospheric. These two parts of the Sun interact and light up to create the auroras on both the planets.

Jupiter has a smaller number of rings than Saturn, which are almost invisible to ground-based telescopes. JWST captured these faint arcs made of ice, dust, and several moons that circle Jupiter. 

What’s next for JWST? In September, astronomers released images showing Neptune, a planet that is even further away than Jupiter. Neptune, which is seven times further away than Jupiter, is located in the far reaches our solar system. JWST captured Neptune, an ice giant planet, complete with its own rings system, nestled amongst the background stars. 

Jupiter shines brighter in the evening sky than any other star-like object. Venus is brighter, but is not visible at the moment because it travels behind sun. You may see a few dots in the Jupiter sky if you look through a pair binoculars. These are Jupiter’s four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. 

These moons are large, rocky worlds on their own. Io spews lava from many active volcanoes. Europa is covered with ice, which may contain a deep ocean full of liquid water. Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, is larger than Mercury. Callisto has the most meteor impact damage and a battered surface. But these are just the largest of Jupiter’s 80 known moons.

You don’t need a giant space telescope to see details on Jupiter. Even a simple backyard scope can show you the disc of Jupiter, the two largest cloud bands, and the four largest lunar orbits. If the telescope is facing forward and center, you can see the Great Red Spot.

Dean Regas, the Cincinnati Observatory's Astronomer, is the author of "100 Things to See In the Night Sky" (and "How to Teach Grown Ups About Pluto") He can be reached at dean@cincinnatiobservatory.org 

What is Learn more about the ringed planet, and view Saturn through telescopes (weather permitting). All ages are welcome.

When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 7-9 p.m.

Where: Cincinnati Observatory. 3489 Observatory Place. Mount Lookout.

Admission: $15, $7 children.

What: Learn more about the largest planet, and view Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon through telescopes (weather permitting). All ages are welcome.

When: Friday, Oct. 7, 8-11 p.m.

Where: Cincinnati Observatory. 3489 Observatory Place. Mount Lookout.

Admission: $15, $7 children.

Information: No reservations needed; www.cincinnatiobservatory.org.