Opening of Jupiter.
The largest of
the planets, Jupiter has more than the combined mass of everything
else in the solar system except the sun. Its sky is filled with
bizarre, multicolored, rapidly transforming cloud formations: clusters
of clouds consume others, groups intertwine and then separate and go
different ways. Some are sucked into the vortex of the Great Red Spot.
Contrapuntal Swirl from Jupiter.
Among the 13 known
moons of Jupiter, the Galilean satellites - Io, Europa, Ganymede, and
Callisto, each in its own right planet-sized - are in a class by
themselves. When Galileo announced his discovery of these four moons
in 1610, it provided the first material support for the Copernican
solar system.
Complex Counterpoint from Io.
Io is one of the
most active and interesting planetary bodies known, an intense ball of
volcanic activity, exotic chemistry, and complex interactions.
Bass Against Guitar.
Io is dotted with sulfur
lakes. Many of Io's 200 volcanic calderas are 10 to 20 miles wide and
continuously spit out boiling lava in streams that stretch hundreds of
miles.
Andean Flute.
Europa's surface
is billiard-ball smooth and covered by a thin sheet of ice. With
virtually no surface relief, it is the smoothest world known in our
solar system, a pearl suspended in space.
Phrase from Ganymede.
Ganymede is the
largest satellite in the solar system. Irregular dark regions contrast
against a brighter background. Immense grooves criss-cross its
surface. Ganymede's overall reflectance is four to five times greater
than our moon's.
Cratered Surface.
Impact scars -
large craters standing nearly shoulder to shoulder - cover the entire
surface of Callisto. Although the plastic flow of its icy crust
shrouds this moon in mystery, it is believed that the heavy
bombardment that shaped these crators occurred nearly four billion
years ago.
Jovian Cloud.
Passing through
the 12,000-mile-thick rings of microscopic dust that form a band
around Jupiter. Beyond the swirl, there is an echo of solitude.
Guitar Travel.
Traveling on a
guitar powered by a bass and the refrain of the rhythm guitar...
...we leave the 10,000 mile deep atmosphere of Jupiter. We're out there, at the edge...