The dramatic image was snapped by NASAs probe and enhanced by citizen scientist Kevin Gill. The picture features Jupiters upper hemisphere where a pitch-black and round shadow has appeared. NASAs Juno took the picture on its 22nd close flyby of the Gas Giant on September 11, 2019. During the flyby, the spacecraft dipped to a distance of just 4,885 miles (7,862km) above the planets cloud tops.

So, what exactly is the dark shadow blemishing the surface of the solar systems biggest planet?

Could it be a black hole threatening to trap Jupiter in the unavoidable grip of its gravity?

Thankfully, the black hole is completely harmless and is the result of Jupiters moon Io passing directly in front of the Sun.

NASA said: Jupiters volcanically active moon Io casts its shadow on the planet in this dramatic image from NASAs Juno spacecraft.

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As with solar eclipses on the Earth, within the dark circle racing across Jupiters cloud tops, one would witness a full solar eclipse as Io passes in front of the Sun.

Such events occur frequently on Jupiter because it is a large planet with many moons.

According to the USspaceagency, the Gas Giant boasts a total of 75 lunar satellites.

Similarly to Saturn, NASAs 1979 Voyager probe also discovered a faint ring of material running around the planet.

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However, unlike most of the other planets in the solar system, the Sun never moves far away from the planets equator.

Jupiters axis is not tilted highly when compared to its orbit, meaning the Sun often crosses paths with Jupiters moons.

As a result, NASA said dark shadows like the one above often fall on the planets cloudy surface.

The exact same effect takes place on Earth during a spectacular total solar eclipse.

READ MORE: NASAs Juno spacecraft captures stunning image of gas giant

NASA said: Junos close proximity to Jupiter provides an exceptional fish-eye view, showing a small fraction near the planets equator.

The shadow is about 2,200 miles (3,600km) wide, approximately the same width as Io, but appears much larger relative to Jupiter.

A little larger than Earths Moon, Io is perhaps most famous for its many active volcanoes, often caught lofting fountains of ejecta well above its thin atmosphere.

All of Junos raw images are shared online in the JunoCam archive and NASA encourages members of the public to play around with and process them as they see fit.

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NASA news: An incredible black hole appeared on Jupiter - What is this 'dramatic image'? - Express.co.uk