Scientist have captured one of the most detailed images ever seen of Jupiter's surface showing breathtaking lightning storms.
The infrared pictures, known as 'lucky' imaging, were taken over a period of three years and stitched together.
Captured by the Gemini telescope in Hawaii, they show 50-mile deep lightning storms created by the planet’s fiery atmosphere.
The fascinating image shows red light glowing through thick clouds of water ice and liquid giving it a marbled effect.
The 'lucky' technique involves taking hundreds of short exposure images and then only using the sharpest and clearest ones.
For example, each section of the planet would be captured, but only the one where the surface looks its most violent would be used in the final image.
"The Gemini data were critical because they allowed us to probe deeply into Jupiter’s clouds on a regular schedule," said Michael Wong of UC Berkeley.
‘These images rival the view from space.’
Jupiter has powerful storms often accompanied by lightning strikes and appear to glow in spots.
"It's kind of like a jack-o-lantern," Wong said. "You see bright infrared light coming from cloud-free areas, but where there are clouds, it's really dark in the infrared."
The lightning strikes on Jupiter are hundreds of times more powerful than those seen on Earth, and are assumed to be associated with the water clouds.
The Great Red Spot - the most powerful storm in the solar system - has been raging for years and was once four times the diameter of Earth, according to NASA.
