December 23, 2024

NASA’s Juno Unlocks Secrets of Io’s Volcanic Fury and Jupiter’s Storms

Other current science results from the solar-powered spacecraft include updates on Jupiters polar cyclones and water abundance.The new findings were revealed on April 16, by Junos primary detective Scott Bolton during a news conference at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly in Vienna.This animation is an artists idea of Loki Patera, a lava lake on Jupiters moon Io, made using data from the JunoCam imager aboard NASAs Juno spacecraft.”The JunoCam instrument on NASAs Juno recorded this view of Jupiters moon Io– with the first-ever image of its south polar area– during the spacecrafts 60th flyby of Jupiter on April 9. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ MSSS, Gerald Eichstädt/ Thomas Thomopoulos (CC BY)Maps produced with data collected by Junos Microwave Radiometer (MWR) instrument reveal Io not only has a surface that is relatively smooth compared to Jupiters other Galilean moons, however likewise has poles that are colder than middle latitudes.Pole PositionDuring Junos extended mission, the spacecraft flies closer to the north pole of Jupiter with each pass.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ MSSSImagery from the solar-powered spacecraft provides close-ups of appealing features on the hellish Jovian moon.Scientists on NASAs Juno objective to Jupiter have transformed data collected throughout two current flybys of Io into animations that highlight 2 of the Jovian moons most remarkable functions: a mountain and a nearly glass-smooth lake of cooling lava. Other recent science results from the solar-powered spacecraft include updates on Jupiters polar cyclones and water abundance.The new findings were announced on April 16, by Junos principal private investigator Scott Bolton during a news conference at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly in Vienna.This animation is an artists principle of Loki Patera, a lava lake on Jupiters moon Io, made using data from the JunoCam imager aboard NASAs Juno spacecraft.”The JunoCam instrument on NASAs Juno recorded this view of Jupiters moon Io– with the first-ever image of its south polar area– throughout the spacecrafts 60th flyby of Jupiter on April 9. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ MSSS, Gerald Eichstädt/ Thomas Thomopoulos (CC BY)Maps generated with information gathered by Junos Microwave Radiometer (MWR) instrument expose Io not just has a surface area that is relatively smooth compared to Jupiters other Galilean moons, however also has poles that are colder than middle latitudes.Pole PositionDuring Junos extended objective, the spacecraft flies closer to the north pole of Jupiter with each pass. Water abundance also has crucial implications for the gas giants meteorology (consisting of how wind currents flow on Jupiter) and internal structure.In 1995, NASAs Galileo probe supplied an early dataset on Jupiters water abundance during the spacecrafts 57-minute descent into the Jovian environment.