M. J. S. Belton, National Optical Astronomy Observatories, 950 North Cherry Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
Science. 1996 Oct 18;274(5286):377-85. doi: 10.1126/science.274.5286.377.
The first images of Jupiter, Io, Europa, and Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft reveal new information about Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) and the surfaces of the Galilean satellites. Features similar to clusters of thunderstorms were found in the GRS. Nearby wave structures suggest that the GRS may be a shallow atmospheric feature. Changes in surface color and plume distribution indicate differences in resurfacing processes near hot spots on Io. Patchy emissions were seen while Io was in eclipse by Jupiter. The outer margins of prominent linear markings (triple bands) on Europa are diffuse, suggesting that material has been vented from fractures. Numerous small circular craters indicate localized areas of relatively old surface. Pervasive brittle deformation of an ice layer appears to have formed grooves on Ganymede. Dark terrain unexpectedly shows distinctive albedo variations to the limit of resolution.
伽利略号飞船拍摄到的木星、木卫一、木卫二和木卫三的首批图像，提供了木星大红斑（GRS）和伽利略卫星表面的新信息。在 GRS 中发现了类似雷暴群的特征。附近的波状结构表明 GRS 可能是一个浅层大气特征。木卫一上热点附近的表面颜色和羽流分布的变化表明了再表面过程的差异。在木卫一被木星遮挡时，观察到了斑块状排放。在木卫二上，明显的线性标记（三带）的外边缘是扩散的，这表明物质是从裂缝中逸出的。众多的小圆形陨石坑表明存在局部相对较老的表面区域。冰层的普遍脆性变形似乎在木卫三上形成了沟槽。出乎意料的是，暗地形显示出独特的反照率变化，分辨率达到极限。
