Juno will fly a mere 9,000 km above Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is ready for its close-up. On July 10, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will fly directly over it, providing the first intimate views of Jupiter’s most famous feature.

The Great Red Spot is a 16,000-kilometer-wide storm that’s been raging for centuries. Juno will soar just 9,000 kilometers above the Red Spot’s swirling clouds, collecting data with its eight scientific instruments and snapping pictures with its JunoCam imager.

Since Juno started orbiting Jupiter last July, it’s revealed many new, sometimes surprising insights into the planet’s structure, atmosphere, and magnetic field. The forthcoming Red Spot observations are expected to help scientists understand what drives Jupiter’s iconic storm.