Acrylic on canvas, Jupiter

Large format acrylic on canvas painting of Jupiter and moons as viewed from space.

A post-Pioneer but pre-Voyager view of the giant planet Jupiter and its large moon Io. The Great Red Spot is portrayed as it was seen by Pioneers 10 and 11 but without the complex detail apparent during the subsequent Voyager 1 and 2 encounters. Io is shown as a cratered world, something expected after the Pioneers but before Voyager 1 revealed that no craters but rather active volcanoes are present here. Therefore, the painting is an important time capsule of our growing understanding of the planet and its moons. Artist Ron Miller worked at the NASM Planetarium when this painting was made.

This image of Jupiter hung over the Exploring the Planets gallery entrance. It greeted visitors with a dramatic image of the giant planet Jupiter.