NASA's Juno mission spots eerie green light on Jupiter: Here's what scientists think it is

Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY
Tue, June 20, 2023 

A NASA spacecraft spotted an eerie green light coming from Jupiter.

The light is believed to be the glow from a bolt of lightning near the planet's north pole.

Unlike Earth, where lightning bolts originate from water clouds and happen most frequently near the equator, lightning on Jupiter occurs in clouds containing an ammonia-water solution, and most often occurs near the poles, according to NASA.

The photo was released Thursday after being captured by NASA's Juno mission as it completed its 31st close flyby of Jupiter on Dec. 30, 2020. The spacecraft was about 19,000 miles above Jupiter's cloud tops when the image was taken.

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A NASA spacecraft spotted a green light coming from Jupiter.

According to NASA, the Juno mission spacecraft began its five-year journey to explore Jupiter in August 2011 and first arrived on the planet in July 2016. Now in its extended mission, the spacecraft will continue to explore the planet until September 2025, or until the spacecraft's end of life.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lightning on Jupiter: NASA releases Juno mission photo of green light