PIA23990: Jovian Sprite (Illustration)


Jovian Sprite (Illustration)

Caption:

This illustration shows what a sprite could look like in Jupiter's atmosphere. Named after a mischievous, quick-witted character in English folklore, sprites last for only a few milliseconds. They feature a central blob of light with long tendrils of light extending down toward the ground and upward. In Earth's upper atmosphere, their interaction with nitrogen give sprites a reddish hue. At Jupiter, where the predominance of hydrogen in the upper atmosphere would likely give them a blue hue.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Jupiter
System Jupiter
Target Type Planet
Mission
Instrument Host
Host Type
Instrument
Detector
Extra Keywords Atmosphere, Color
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2020-10-27
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23990
Identifier PIA23990