This is my first image of Jupiter in which the Great Red Spot (GRS), a shadow transit, and the moons Europa — which is casting the shadow — and Ganymede are all visible together. The GRS is a massive anticyclonic storm that has been raging on Jupiter for centuries and is recognizable as a prominent, reddish storm system.

In addition to the GRS, Jupiter's characteristic cloud bands are clearly visible. These bands consist of alternating bright zones and dark belts shaped by powerful winds in the planet’s atmosphere. The bright zones are made up of rising, mostly ammonia-rich clouds, while the darker belts expose deeper, warmer layers of the atmosphere. The interaction between these atmospheric flows produces striking turbulence and vortices, especially noticeable along the band edges.

The image was taken on February 18, 2025, at around 9:45 p.m., during a brief period of improved seeing conditions. Just half an hour later, the seeing had deteriorated again, so this image was captured with a bit of luck in more ways than one.

It’s fascinating to realize that behind the shadow lies an actual solar eclipse on Jupiter — similar to what we experience when the Moon passes in front of the Sun.

Distance to Jupiter at the time: 722.123 million kilometers
Diameter of Jupiter: approx. 140,000 kilometers
Diameter of Europa: 3,121 kilometers (roughly the size of Earth’s Moon)
Diameter of Ganymede: 5,262 kilometers