Page 17 - BBC Focus - August 2017

AUGUST 2017

SP A C E

JUPITER’S GREAT RED

SPOT CAPTURED IN

UNPRECEDENTED DETAIL

THEY DID WHAT?!
NASA’s Juno probe has delivered the raging storm 1.3 times as wide as
goods yet again. This time, with Earth. It has been under observation
photos of Jupiter’s iconic Great Red since 1830 and is believed to have
Spot that were taken on 10 July. existed for more than 350 years.
The stunning images were pieced Early analysis of data taken by Juno
together by citizen scientists using portrays Jupiter as a highly turbulent
raw data taken from the JunoCam as world, with a complex interior
the probe passed just 3,500km above structure, energetic polar auroras, and
the planet’s cloud tops – the closest huge polar cyclones.
any human-made object has come to “For hundreds of years scientists
the storm. have been observing, wondering and
“I have been following the Juno theorising about Jupiter’s Great Red
mission since it launched,” said Spot,” said Juno’s principal
citizen scientist Jason Major, who investigator Scott Bolton. “Now we
produced one of the images. “It is have the best pictures ever of this
always exciting to see these new raw iconic storm. It will take us some time
images of Jupiter as they arrive. But it to analyse all the data from not only
is even more thrilling to take the raw JunoCam, but Juno’s eight science
images and turn them into something instruments, to shed some new light
that people can appreciate. That is on the past, present and future of the ROBOT TAUGHT TO
what I live for.” Great Red Spot.”
Measuring 16,350km across, Juno’s next close flyby of Jupiter COMPOSE MUSIC
Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is a vast, will occur on 1 September.
What did they do?
Computer scientists at Georgia Institute of
Technology in the US have taught a robot to
compose its own musical pieces, and then
play them on the marimba – an instrument
similar to a xylophone.

How did they do that?
The robot – nicknamed ‘Shimon’ – was fed
nearly 5,000 complete compositions,
ranging from pop songs to classical pieces,
and over two million smaller fragments
such as riffs, solos and codas. Using deep
learning techniques, its AI system then
analysed the material and devised its own
set of rules for composition. Using these
rules, it then ‘wrote’ and played
recognisably musical creations of its own.
Why did they do that?
Project leader Mason Bretan is interested
in exploring the possibilities of AI and
Enhanced colour
image of computer learning in music composition.
Jupiter’s Great Maybe the first robot masterpiece is just
Red Spot
around the corner.

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