At a Glance

The Juno spacecraft came closer to Jupiter's Great Red Spot than ever before, capturing some mesmerizing photos.The spot is a giant 10,000-mile-wide, swirling storm packing winds of up to 400 mph.

NASA has released new, up-close images of Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot.

The spacecraft hasorbiting the gas giant, capturing images and sending them back to eager scientists hoping to learn more about the planet.

On Monday, the spacecraft came closer to the giant red spot than ever before, flying just 5,600 miles above the iconic 350-year-old storm that packs .

If social media is any indication, the images are thrilling scientists and laymen alike. Many are even taking a stab at processing the original black and white images with color.

At the end of its mission in 2018, and disintegrate. Scientists planned the spacecraft's purposeful demise to prevent any chance of accidentally crashing into the planet's potentially habitable moons.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM:Jupiter Encounter: 10 Things You Need to Know About the Juno Mission

Juno's mission is to get a glimpse of the of Jupiter's surface through the planet's cloud-socked atmosphere and map the interior from a unique vantage point above the poles. Some questions NASA hopes to answer: How much water exists? Is there a solid core? Why are Jupiter's southern and northern lights the brightest in the solar system?