EARTH-BASED OBSERVATIONS OF THE GALILEO PROBE ENTRY SITE

Earth-based observations of Jupiter indicate that the Galileo probe pr obably entered Jupiter's atmosphere just inside a region that has less cloud cover and drier conditions than more than 99 percent of the res t of the planet. The visual appearance of the clouds at the site was g enerally dark at longer wavelengths. The tropospheric and stratospheri c temperature fields have a strong longitudinal wave structure that is expected to manifest itself in the vertical temperature profile.