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The swirling, chaotic patterns visible in "Turbulent Orb" and "Jovian Cloud Tops" compare almost perfectly with the turbulent, cloud-covered sphere of the planet Jupiter.

Jovian Cloud Tops, Photo Credit: Conrad Jung
"Jovian Cloud Tops" (photo credit: Conrad Jung)

 

 

Turbulent Cloud-tops on Jupiter and the Exhibit Turbulent Orb, Exhibit Photo Ned Kahn, Jupiter NASA
Main background image: The planet Jupiter (photo credit: NASA)   Central inset: "Turbulent Orb" (photo credit: Ned Kahn)

How It Works:  "Turbulent Orb" is a large rotatable spherical vessel filled with deep blue fluid.  Visitors may spin the sphere and watch as complex turbulence patterns swirl and circulate in the fluid.

How It Works:  "Jovian Cloud Tops" shows many of the same turbulence patterns as does "Turbulent Orb," but in this sculpture the fluid is contained in a shallow, flat vessel.