Tag Archives: Juno

Science

NASA’s epic space images from the James Webb, Juno and Perseverance in 2022

Leave a comment

‘The dawn of a new era in astronomy: NASA shared epic space images in 2022 that captured the birth of stars, Jupiter’s powerful storms and swirling iridescent sands on Mars

  • NASA had an epic year with the James Webb Space Telescope capturing images of never-before-seen cosmos, such as star-forming regions, a 13.5 billion-year-old galaxy and a new look at the Pillars of Creation
  • Juno captivated the globe this year with new pictures of the cyclones twisting on Jupiter and the Perseverance rover continued to send amazing images from Mars
  • NASA closed the year off by completing the first phase of its Artemis mission, which will put human boots back on the moon – and shared exciting images of the Orion capsule during its trip to the moon and back 

By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

Advertisement

This year was the dawn of a new era in astronomy. 

The world was captivated by stunning images of stars birthing from fiery clouds, violent storms flowing throughout Jupiter and iridescent sands swirling across the barren landscape of Mars.

Scientists spent much of 2022 sifting through mountains of data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and uncovered never-before-seen cosmic wonders that formed in the early universe.

One of the epic images includes the oldest galaxy that formed 13.5 billion years ago – when the universe was just 350 million years old.

A star is born: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope captured the ‘once-hidden’ beginnings of a very young star during its exploration to find the first galaxies. The telescope was able to ‘see’ the once invisible dust and clouds surrounding the region and in the center of the hourglass is the young star collecting surrounding material to help it grow

JWST also shared a stunning look at the star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula, revealing a landscape of ‘mountains’ and ‘valleys’ of gas and dust. 

Juno, NASA’s probe tasked with investigating Jupiter, snapped images of violent cyclones on the gas giant that look like they were created by a brush swooshing paint on a canvas.

And while the Red Planet may be known as a wasteland, the American space agency’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted ripples of sand that appear to be dancing through a Martian crater.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement this month: ‘2022 will go down in the history books as one of the most accomplished years across all of NASA’s missions.

‘There’s so much to look forward to in 2023 too: More stunning discoveries from Webb telescope, climate missions that will tell us more about how our Earth is changing, continued science on the International Space Station, groundbreaking aeronautics developments with the X-59 and X-57 experimental aircraft, the selection of the first astronauts to go to the Moon in more than 50 years, and more. Space is the place and NASA proves humanity’s reach is limitless!’ 

A true work of art: Juno captured colossal cyclones at Jupiter’s north pole, similar to hurricanes on Earth – but move five times faster. This image was snapped in September and looks more like an oil painting than a photograph of a distant planet

A real beauty: JWST shared new images of Jupiter in 2022 that capture its stunning auroras  glowing at the gas giant’s north and south poles. The auroras are caused by fluctuations in the planet’s magnetic field. As Jupiter rotates, it drags its magnetic field bombarded by particles of solar wind

The sands of time: Ripples in sand on Mars appear in stunning teal and purple when color is enhanced. The image is an aerial view of the center of Gamboa Crater, which features giant sand dunes carved out by Martian winds

A trip back in time: JWST looked back 13.5 billion years to capture never-before-seen individual globular clusters around distant elliptical galaxies, knots of star formation within spiral galaxies and thousands of faint galaxies in the background

An everlasting ring: The Southern Ring nebula, also known as the ‘Eight-Burst’ nebula, is a planetary nebula – an expanding, glowing shell of ionized gas ejected from red giant stars late in their lives. NASA’s JWST captured this stunning image, revealing a cloak of dust around the second star (left in red)

Clash of the titans: JWST captured a stunning image of the first compact galaxies ever seen by human eyes.  Stephan’s Quintet is a group of five galaxies in the constellation Pegasus. Four of the five galaxies within the quintet are locked in a ‘cosmic dance’ of repeated close encounters

The heart of the galaxy: M74, a spiral galaxy 32 million light-years away and this image captures a detailed look of its center. JWST’s sharp vision revealed delicate filaments of gas and dust in the grandiose spiral arms that wind outwards from the center of this image

Reaching for the stars: This detailed image of the iconic Pillars of Creation, reveals its columns of cool interstellar gas and dust surrounded by countless twinkling stars. This is the first time the gas and dust can be seen clumping together and populations of forming stars, with some still encased in dust, are visible

Rockin’ and rollin’ on Mars: NASA’s Perseverance rover shared the first image of ‘Bettys Rock’ on the Red Planet using one of its navigation cameras. The rock is named after Bettys Rock in Shenandoah National Park. A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life

Fly me to the moon: NASA’s Orion made an epic journey to the moon and back. While on its 20th day of the 25-day mission, the capsule snapped an image of Earth’s natural satellite as it headed back home. Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, completing the first phase of the Artemis mission that will put humans back on the moon

Honey, I’m home: Orion was approaching Earth on December 11 and snapped an image of our world before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean

Read original article here

Science

Juno spacecraft regaining its memory after mind-blowing Jupiter flyby, NASA says

Leave a comment

NASA’s Juno probe is continuing to recover its memory at Jupiter after a data disruption interrupted communications between the spacecraft and its operators on Earth following a flyby of the giant planet in December. 

The Juno spacecraft’s latest flyby of Jupiter, its 47th close pass of the planet, was completed on Dec. 14. But as its operators at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were receiving science data from the flyby they found they could no longer directly access the spacecraft’s memory.

The team successfully rebooted Juno’s computer and on Dec. 17 they placed the spacecraft into “safe mode” with only essential systems operating as a precaution. As of a Dec. 22 NASA update (opens in new tab), steps taken by the team to recover Juno’s science data had been proceeding positively. Juno’s operators are now successfully downlinking the flyby data.

“The science data from the solar-powered spacecraft’s most recent flyby of Jupiter and its moon Io appears to be intact,” NASA wrote in the update.

Related: The 10 most massive mysteries of Jupiter

The interruption is currently believed to have been caused when Juno flew through the intense radiation of a portion of Jupiter’s magnetosphere. There is no indication that the radiation spike has damaged data from its close approach to Jupiter or its flyby of the volcanic Jupiter moon Io. 

The remaining data from Juno’s latest flyby is expected to be beamed back to Earth the next few days at which point operators can assess if it has been affected by the disruption.

Juno left Earth in August 2011, traveling 1.7 million miles and entering orbit around the gas giant planet 5 years later on July 4, 2016. Becoming the first spacecraft to see through Jupiter’s dense clouds, Juno’s aim was to answer questions about Jupiter’s composition and origins.

Related: NASA’s Juno spacecraft snaps its most detailed view of icy moon Europa

Juno takes 53 Earth days to orbit Jupiter, with its primary mission of Juno calling for 35 orbit, during which it collected 3 terabits of scientific data and some incredible images of Jupiter and its moons. Because Jupiter is thought to be the solar system’s oldest world, learning more about it could reveal information about the formation of the solar system itself. 

This data changed many of the ideas planetary scientists had about Jupiter’s atmosphere and interior by revealing an atmospheric weather layer stretching far beyond its water clouds as well as a deep interior with a dilute heavy element core.

The spacecraft’s primary mission ended in July and the spacecraft is expected to continue its extended science operations until at least 2025 according to the Planetary Society (opens in new tab).

The spacecraft was expected to exit safe mode this week and will make its next flyby of Jupiter on Jan. 22, 2023.

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or on Facebook.



Read original article here

Science

Juno probe snaps photo of Jupiter’s atmosphere, 2 big moons

Leave a comment

A flyby of Jupiter by NASA’s Juno spacecraft has delivered a stunning image of the gas giant’s cloud tops and the moons Callisto and Io.

The newly released image was taken by the spacecraft’s JunoCam just under a year ago, on Nov. 29, 2021, as the Jupiter-exploring Juno completed its 38th close flyby of our solar system’s largest planet.

The image shows the arc of Jupiter’s horizon and the planet’s churning, rippling clouds, while also capturing the moons Io (above) and Callisto (below).

Photos: Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet

The image was taken when Juno was about 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 69 degrees, traveling at a speed of about 123,000 mph (198,000 kph) relative to the planet, according to a NASA statement.

Citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt used raw JunoCam data to make the original version of this image. Another citizen scientist, Thomas Thomopoulos, then further processed it, zooming in and making color enhancements, NASA stated.

Juno recently made a flyby of another one of Jupiter’s four big Galilean moons, the ice-covered, ocean world of Europa, returning the first close-up images of the moon in more than 20 years. Juno also got up close to the fourth Galilean moon, Ganymede, in April 2021, delivering impressive images of the solar system’s largest moon during that flyby.

The close approaches don’t stop there. The Juno spacecraft — which launched in 2011 and arrived at Jupiter in 2016 — is next scheduled to make flybys of the violently volcanic world of Io in December 2023 and February 2024.

NASA notes that JunoCam’s raw images are available for the public to peruse and process here (opens in new tab), with more information about NASA citizen science to be found here (opens in new tab).

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and on Facebook (opens in new tab). 



Read original article here

Science

NASA’s Juno Gets Highest-Resolution View of Puzzling Region of Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa

Leave a comment

Surface features of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa are revealed in an image obtained by Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) during the spacecraft’s September 29, 2022, flyby. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI

Observations from the Juno spacecraft’s pass of the moon provided the first close-up in over two decades of this ocean world, resulting in remarkable imagery and unique science.

The highest-resolution photo

The image covers about 93 miles (150 kilometers) by 125 miles (200 kilometers) of Europa’s surface, revealing a region crisscrossed with a network of fine grooves and double ridges (pairs of long parallel lines indicating elevated features in the ice). Near the upper right of the image, as well as just to the right and below center, are dark stains possibly linked to something from below erupting onto the surface. Below center and to the right is a surface feature that recalls a musical quarter note, measuring 42 miles (67 kilometers) north-south by 23 miles (37 kilometers) east-west. The white dots in the image are signatures of penetrating high-energy particles from the severe radiation environment around the moon.

The complex, ice-covered surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during a flyby on September 29, 2022. At closest approach, the spacecraft came within a distance of about 219 miles (352 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI/MSSS

Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) – a star camera used to orient the spacecraft – obtained the black-and-white image during the spacecraft’s flyby of Europa on September 29, 2022, at a distance of about 256 miles (412 kilometers). With a resolution that ranges from 840 to 1,115 feet (256 to 340 meters) per pixel, the image was captured as Juno raced past at about 15 miles per second (24 kilometers per second) or 54,000 mph (86,000 km/h) over a part of the surface that was in nighttime, dimly lit by “Jupiter shine” – sunlight reflecting off Jupiter’s cloud tops.

Designed for low-light conditions, the SRU has also proven itself a valuable science tool, discovering shallow lightning in Jupiter’s atmosphere, imaging Jupiter’s enigmatic ring system (see image below), and now providing a glimpse of some of Europa’s most fascinating geologic formations.

This high-resolution image of Jupiter’s main dust ring was collected by the Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) navigation camera aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The image was taken from inside the ring looking out as Juno flew between Jupiter and the radiation belts during the spacecraft’s 36th close flyby on September 2, 2021. The brightest thin dust bands are associated with the orbits of Jupiter’s small moons, Metis and Adrastea. The image is at a resolution of nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) per pixel. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“This image is unlocking an incredible level of detail in a region not previously imaged at such resolution and under such revealing illumination conditions,” said Heidi Becker, the lead co-investigator for the SRU. “The team’s use of a star-tracker camera for science is a great example of Juno’s groundbreaking capabilities. These features are so intriguing. Understanding how they formed – and how they connect to Europa’s history – informs us about internal and external processes shaping the icy crust.”

It won’t just be Juno’s SRU scientists who will be busy analyzing data in the coming weeks. During Juno’s 45th orbit around Jupiter, all of the spacecraft’s science instruments were collecting data both during the Europa flyby and then again as Juno flew over Jupiter’s poles a short 7 ½ hours later.

“Juno started out completely focused on Jupiter. The team is really excited that during our extended mission, we expanded our investigation to include three of the four Galilean satellites and Jupiter’s rings,” said Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “With this flyby of Europa, Juno has now seen close-ups of two of the most interesting moons of Jupiter, and their ice shell crusts look very different from each other. In 2023, Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, will join the club.” In June 2021, Juno sailed by Jupiter’s moon Ganymede – the solar system’s largest moon.

Europa is the solar system’s sixth-largest moon with about 90% of the equatorial diameter of Earth’s moon. Scientists are confident a salty ocean lies below a miles-thick ice shell, sparking questions about the potential habitability of the ocean. In the early 2030s, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will arrive and strive to answer these questions about Europa’s habitability. The data from the Juno flyby provides a preview of what that mission will reveal.

More About the Mission

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (



Read original article here

Science

Close-Up Photo of Jupiter’s Moon Europa Shows a Bizarre Surface

Leave a comment

NASA’s Juno spacecraft took images of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa during a recent flyby. One of the photos—released this week by NASA—offers an intimate view of Europa’s surface features.

Juno has orbited the gas giant Jupiter since 2016, but only recently has NASA diverted the spacecraft’s attention to the planet’s moons. Europa is of particular scientific interest because scientists believe a salty ocean lies beneath the moon’s frozen surface.

If such an ocean is there—something the upcoming Europa Clipper mission will investigate using surface-penetrating radar—it could host ingredients for life, if not life itself.

The recent image was taken during Juno’s flyby on September 29, during which the spacecraft came within about 220 miles of the moon’s surface. The image covers a roughly 11,600-square-mile swath of Europa, a region dominated with grooves and ridges in the ice. It’s a black-and-white photo taken from about 256 miles above the surface and is the highest-resolution image taken of a specific portion of the moon.

G/O Media may get a commission

The new pic builds on the first images released from the flyby. Darker splotches on the ice could indicate something beneath the moon’s crust erupting onto the surface, according to a recent NASA release. White flecks dotting the image are signatures of high-energy particles from the radiation in the moon’s surrounding environment.

“These features are so intriguing,” said Heidi Becker, the lead co-investigator for the camera used to take the image, in the release. “Understanding how they formed – and how they connect to Europa’s history – informs us about internal and external processes shaping the icy crust.”

Though Juno began its focus on Jupiter, its investigation has expanded to that of four Galilean satellites and the gas giant’s rings—not so easily seen, but recently captured in images by the Webb Space Telescope.

Juno flew by Ganymede (the largest moon in the solar system) in June 2021, and in 2023 Io will get its own flyby. Juno is significantly expanding its observational targets and will be supplanted in the early 2030s by NASA’s Europa Clipper, which will investigate Europa’s ability to foster life with state-of-the-art instruments.

Europa’s surface may look pretty hostile in black and white and from 200 miles up, but beneath the ice, it could be an entirely different story.

More: Check Out Juno’s First Up-Close Images of Icy Europa

Read original article here

Science

Juno photos reveal more stunning glimpses of Jupiter’s moon Europa

Leave a comment

Fabulous portraits of Jupiter’s mysterious icy moon Europa captured by NASA’s Juno mission during its close flyby last week reveals the moon, which may possibly harbor extraterrestrial life, in unexpected colors.

The new images were taken by Juno‘s JunoCam camera during the probe’s pass of Europa on Sept. 29, then went to enthusiastic image processors who gave them at times an almost artistic treatment.

“Starting with our flyby of Earth back in 2013, Juno citizen scientists have been invaluable in processing the numerous images we get with Juno,” Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Center in Texas said in a statement. “During each flyby of Jupiter, and now its moons, their work provides a perspective that draws upon both science and art. They are a crucial part of our team, leading the way by using our images for new discoveries.”

Related: Underwater snow on Earth could offer insight into Europa’s icy crust

The newly released images highlight previously unexplored surface features that could shed light on processes occurring in the potentially life-bearing ocean underneath Europa’s thick ice crust. The images, taken during an imaging window just a few minutes long, include JunoCam’s closest image of the moon, which was taken from an altitude of 945 miles (1,500 kilometers) above Europa’s surface. The image shows a region called Annwn Regio, known for what scientists call chaotic terrain, a maze of ridges, grooves and cracks scaring the icy surface. 

The image, processed by Björn Jónsson, depicts the surface with a resolution of about 0.6 miles (1 km) per pixel, revealing numerous bright and dark troughs and previously unknown pits. Callanish Crater, which NASA’s Galileo probe studied in the late 1990s and early 2000s, appears in the lower right as a circular dark spot. 

A comparison of a minimally processed and heavily processed image of the same section of Europa’s surface.  (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Navaneeth Krishnan S)

Two of the images show the same portion of Europa’s surface, comparing different processing approaches; one with minimal treatment, the other with enhanced color contrast that makes the surface features stand out. In the more processed image, shadows cast by the hodgepodge of scars are visible. 

Finally, a highly stylized image by Fernando Garcia Navarro lends the rather plain white and brownish moon an extravagant psychedelic look. 

A highly stylized view of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa created by reprocessing an image captured by JunoCam during the mission’s close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022.   (Image credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Image processing: Kevin M. Gill / Fernando Garcia Navarro CC BY 2.0)

“Juno’s citizen scientists are part of a global united effort, which leads to both fresh perspectives and new insights,” Candy Hansen, lead co-investigator for the JunoCam camera at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, said in the statement. “Many times, citizen scientists will skip over the potential scientific applications of an image entirely, and focus on how Juno inspires their imagination or artistic sense, and we welcome their creativity.”

Juno zipped 256 miles (412 km) above Europa’s frozen surface last week, making its closest approach to the moon and the closest by any spacecraft since the Galileo spacecraft flew by in 2000. Hurtling through space at 15 miles per second (24 km per second), Juno snapped its most detailed image of Europa to date. The maneuver wasn’t just for sightseeing; it also adjusted the probe’s trajectory around Jupiter, reducing the time it takes to orbit the gas giant from 43 to 38 days, NASA said in the statement.

Last year, Juno visited Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system; a visit to the volcanic moon Io is planned for next year. 

While all four of the main Jovian moons are fascinating, Europa is particularly intriguing because scientists believe it might be the likeliest body in the solar system to host extraterrestrial life. 

Juno is unlikely to address whether anything lives in the depths of Europa’s ocean, but NASA’s planned Europa Clipper mission, expected to launch in 2024, may be able to find the needed evidence. Fitted with a suite of nine cutting-edge scientific instruments, Europa Clipper will turn Europa into the best explored moon in the solar system with the exception of our own natural satellite. 

Follow Tereza Pultarova on Twitter @TerezaPultarova. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.  



Read original article here

Science

Juno spies musical note feature on Europa’s icy surface

Leave a comment

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.



CNN
 — 

A NASA spacecraft recently flew by Jupiter’s moon Europa, and one of its cameras spied fascinating features on the icy crust of the ocean world.

The Juno spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, made its closest approach yet to Europa on September 29, flying within 219 miles (352 kilometers) of its icy surface. The mission captured some of the highest-resolution images ever taken of Europa’s ice shell in over two decades.

Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit, a star camera that keeps the spacecraft oriented, captured an image that covers a fractured region of about 93 miles (150 kilometers) by 125 miles (201 kilometers).

Fine grooves and double ridges can be seen streaking across the surface. The double ridges are actually pairs of long parallel lines that suggest elevated areas in the ice.

There are also dark stains that indicate something from beneath the ice shell is erupting on the surface.

A surface feature resembles a musical quarter note below the center of the image, and it stretches 42 miles (68 kilometers) from north to south and 23 miles (37 kilometers) east to west.

White dots correlate with energetic particles from the moon’s radiation environment.

Juno’s star camera took the black-and-white image from 256 miles (412 kilometers) away while zipping by at about 54,000 miles per hour (86,905 kilometers per hour).

The camera was designed to operate in low-light conditions, hence the amount of detail captured even though that part of the moon’s surface was in nighttime and only dimly lit by sun reflecting off Jupiter’s cloud tops.

The camera has also been used to spot shallow lightning in Jupiter’s atmosphere and take images of the giant planet’s rings.

“This image is unlocking an incredible level of detail in a region not previously imaged at such resolution and under such revealing illumination conditions,” said Heidi Becker, lead coinvestigator for the star camera, in a statement.

“The team’s use of a star-tracker camera for science is a great example of Juno’s groundbreaking capabilities. These features are so intriguing. Understanding how they formed — and how they connect to Europa’s history — informs us about internal and external processes shaping the icy crust.”

All of Juno’s instruments collected data during the Europa flyby and a pass over Jupiter’s poles made just 7 1/2 hours later. The analysis of the data will be shared in the coming months.

The spacecraft also gathered data about Europa’s interior, where a salty ocean is thought to exist.

The ice shell that makes up the moon’s surface is between 10 and 15 miles (16 and 24 kilometers) thick, and the ocean it likely sits atop is estimated to be 40 to 100 miles (64 to 161 kilometers) deep.

The data and images captured by Juno could help inform NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, which will launch in 2024 to perform a dedicated series of 50 flybys around the moon after arriving in 2030. Europa Clipper may be able to help scientists determine whether the interior ocean exists and if the moon – one of many orbiting Jupiter – has the potential to be habitable for life.

Clipper will eventually transition from an altitude of 1,700 miles (2,736 kilometers) to just 16 miles (26 kilometers) above the moon’s surface. While Juno has largely focused on studying Jupiter, Clipper will be dedicated to observing Europa.

INTERACTIVE: Explore where the search for life is unfolding in our solar system

Juno is in the extended part of its mission, which was set to end in 2021. The spacecraft is now focused on performing flybys of some of Jupiter’s moons, and its mission is set to end in 2025.

“Juno started out completely focused on Jupiter. The team is really excited that during our extended mission, we expanded our investigation to include three of the four Galilean satellites and Jupiter’s rings,” said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, in a statement.

“With this flyby of Europa, Juno has now seen close-ups of two of the most interesting moons of Jupiter,” he said, also referring to Ganymede, “and their ice shell crusts look very different from each other. In 2023, Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, will join the club.”

Read original article here

Science

Juno gets highest-resolution close-up of Jupiter’s moon Europa

Leave a comment

Surface features of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa are revealed in an image obtained by Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) during the spacecraft’s Sept. 29, 2022, flyby. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI

Observations from the spacecraft’s pass of the moon provided the first close-up in over two decades of this ocean world, resulting in remarkable imagery and unique science.

The highest-resolution photo NASA’s Juno mission has ever taken of a specific portion of Jupiter’s moon Europa reveals a detailed view of a puzzling region of the moon’s heavily fractured icy crust.

The image covers about 93 miles (150 kilometers) by 125 miles (200 kilometers) of Europa’s surface, revealing a region crisscrossed with a network of fine grooves and double ridges (pairs of long parallel lines indicating elevated features in the ice). Near the upper right of the image, as well as just to the right and below center, are dark stains possibly linked to something from below erupting onto the surface. Below center and to the right is a surface feature that recalls a musical quarter note, measuring 42 miles (67 kilometers) north-south by 23 miles (37 kilometers) east-west. The white dots in the image are signatures of penetrating high-energy particles from the severe radiation environment around the moon.

Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU)—a star camera used to orient the spacecraft—obtained the black-and-white image during the spacecraft’s flyby of Europa on Sept. 29, 2022, at a distance of about 256 miles (412 kilometers). With a resolution that ranges from 840 to 1,115 feet (256 to 340 meters) per pixel, the image was captured as Juno raced past at about 15 miles per second (24 kilometers per second) over a part of the surface that was in nighttime, dimly lit by “Jupiter shine”—sunlight reflecting off Jupiter’s cloud tops.

Designed for low-light conditions, the SRU has also proven itself a valuable science tool, discovering shallow lightning in Jupiter’s atmosphere, imaging Jupiter’s enigmatic ring system, and now providing a glimpse of some of Europa’s most fascinating geologic formations.

“This image is unlocking an incredible level of detail in a region not previously imaged at such resolution and under such revealing illumination conditions,” said Heidi Becker, the lead co-investigator for the SRU. “The team’s use of a star-tracker camera for science is a great example of Juno’s groundbreaking capabilities. These features are so intriguing. Understanding how they formed—and how they connect to Europa’s history—informs us about internal and external processes shaping the icy crust.”

It won’t just be Juno’s SRU scientists who will be busy analyzing data in the coming weeks. During Juno’s 45th orbit around Jupiter, all of the spacecraft’s science instruments were collecting data both during the Europa flyby and then again as Juno flew over Jupiter’s poles a short 7 ½ hours later.

“Juno started out completely focused on Jupiter. The team is really excited that during our extended mission, we expanded our investigation to include three of the four Galilean satellites and Jupiter’s rings,” said Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “With this flyby of Europa, Juno has now seen close-ups of two of the most interesting moons of Jupiter, and their ice shell crusts look very different from each other. In 2023, Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, will join the club.” Juno sailed by Jupiter’s moon Ganymede—the solar system’s largest moon—in June 2021.

Europa is the solar system’s sixth-largest moon with about 90% the equatorial diameter of Earth’s moon. Scientists are confident a salty ocean lies below a miles-thick ice shell, sparking questions about the potential habitability of the ocean. In the early 2030s, the NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will arrive and strive to answer these questions about Europa’s habitability. The data from the Juno flyby provides a preview of what that mission will reveal.

NASA spacecraft buzzes Jupiter moon Europa, closest in years

Provided by
Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Citation:
Juno gets highest-resolution close-up of Jupiter’s moon Europa (2022, October 5)
retrieved 6 October 2022
from https://phys.org/news/2022-10-juno-highest-resolution-close-up-jupiter-moon.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.



Read original article here

Science

NASA’s Juno Gets Highest-Resolution Close-Up of Jupiter’s Moon Europa

Leave a comment

The highest-resolution photo NASA’s Juno mission has ever taken of a specific portion of Jupiter’s moon Europa reveals a detailed view of a puzzling region of the moon’s heavily fractured icy crust.

The image covers about 93 miles (150 kilometers) by 125 miles (200 kilometers) of Europa’s surface, revealing a region crisscrossed with a network of fine grooves and double ridges (pairs of long parallel lines indicating elevated features in the ice). Near the upper right of the image, as well as just to the right and below center, are dark stains possibly linked to something from below erupting onto the surface. Below center and to the right is a surface feature that recalls a musical quarter note, measuring 42 miles (67 kilometers) north-south by 23 miles (37 kilometers) east-west. The white dots in the image are signatures of penetrating high-energy particles from the severe radiation environment around the moon.

Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) – a star camera used to orient the spacecraft – obtained the black-and-white image during the spacecraft’s flyby of Europa on Sept. 29, 2022, at a distance of about 256 miles (412 kilometers). With a resolution that ranges from 840 to 1,115 feet (256 to 340 meters) per pixel, the image was captured as Juno raced past at about 15 miles per second (24 kilometers per second) over a part of the surface that was in nighttime, dimly lit by “Jupiter shine” – sunlight reflecting off Jupiter’s cloud tops.

Read original article here

Science

NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Captures Closest View of Jupiter’s Icy Moon Europa in 22 Years

Leave a comment

On September 29, 2022, NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured the complex, ice-covered surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa during a close flyby. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI/MSSS

Observations from the Juno spacecraft’s close pass of the icy moon provided the first close-up in over two decades of this ocean world, resulting in remarkable imagery and unique science.

Earth has now received the first picture

This is only the third close pass of Europa in history below 310 miles (500 kilometers) altitude. In fact, it is the closest look any spacecraft has provided at Europa since NASA’s Galileo came within 218 miles (351 kilometers) of the surface in January 3, 2000.

Slightly smaller than Earth’s moon, Europa is the sixth-largest moon in the solar system. Researchers have uncovered evidence that a salty ocean lies below a miles-thick ice shell, prompting questions about potential conditions capable of supporting life beneath Europa’s surface.

This segment of the first image of Europa captured during this flyby by the spacecraft’s JunoCam zooms in on a swath of Europa’s surface north of the equator. Rugged terrain features are easily seen, due to the enhanced contrast between light and shadow seen along the terminator (the nightside boundary). These include tall shadow-casting blocks, while bright and dark ridges and troughs curve across the surface. Astronomers think the oblong pit seen near the terminator might be a degraded impact crater.

The complex, ice-covered surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa was captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft during a flyby on September 29, 2022. At closest approach, the spacecraft came within a distance of about 219 miles (352 kilometers). Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI/MSSS

With this additional data about Europa’s geology, Juno’s observations will benefit future missions to the Jovian moon, including NASA’s Europa Clipper. That mission, set to launch in 2024, will study Europa’s atmosphere, surface, and interior. Its main science goal will be to determine whether there are locations below the moon’s surface that could support life.

As exhilarating as Juno’s data will be, the spacecraft had only a two-hour window to collect it. At the time it was racing past the moon with a relative velocity of about 14.7 miles per second (23.6 kilometers per second) or 53,000 miles per hour (85,000 kilometers per hour).

“It’s very early in the process, but by all indications, Juno’s flyby of Europa was a great success,” said Scott Bolton. He is the Juno principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. “This first picture is just a glimpse of the remarkable new science to come from Juno’s entire suite of instruments and sensors that acquired data as we skimmed over the moon’s icy crust.”

During the flyby, the mission obtained what will be some of the highest-resolution images of the moon (0.6 miles, or 1 kilometer, per pixel). It also gathered valuable data on Europa’s ice shell structure, surface composition, interior,  and ionosphere. In addition, it collected useful data on the moon’s interaction with

The gravitational forces from this close flyby modified Juno’s trajectory, reducing the time it takes to orbit Jupiter from 43 to 38 days. The flyby also marks the second encounter with a Galilean moon during Juno’s extended mission. The mission explored Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, in June 2021. It is scheduled to make close flybys of Jupiter’s innermost moon Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, in 2023 and 2024.

More About the Mission

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (



Read original article here