We finally know what the north pole of Jupiter’s moon is Europe seen from a distance.
Aerial view of NASA’s Juno spacecraft in orbit Jupiter capture previously unseen regions of icy moons containing water vapor Turns out it’s made of fur and who can have livable condition in the ocean.
The image was taken from a distance of nearly 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) while Juno carried out its primary mission to study Jupiter’s atmosphere. The resolution is admittedly quite grainy, as each pixel is rendered at a distance of about 50 to 60 km. But you can see the change in albedo, or reflection of light, on a very bright moon.
Related: Europe, Jupiter’s mysterious icy moon in the photo
Visibility will increase over the next year when the spacecraft zooms in just a few hundred miles over the same area, Juno Chief Investigator Scott Bolton said during a NASA press conference Thursday, Oct. 28.
“This is a tantalizing example and taste of what’s to come,” added Bolton, director of the space science and technology division of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). The European results were briefly mentioned during a large discussion of the 3D view of the Jupiter’s atmosphere, and the deepest roots of the ongoing storm known as Big red dot.
Europe is a popular destination that has been imaged time and again by spacecraft. The first close-up is of the NASA Pioneer twins and the Twin Voyager . spacecraft in the 1970s, revealing a cracked ice surface. More details coming during mission Galileowhich orbited Jupiter and its moons between 1995 and 2003.
Several spaceships had flown past Europe on their way to other destinations, and Hubble Space Telescope and other telescopes nearby or on Earth turn their gaze to the moon from time to time. But what limits these different views is that they are all at or near ecliptic, i.e. the plane in which the sun, the planets, and their many moons in the solar system orbit.
In contrast, Juno has a more polar orbit that allows for unique views of Jupiter, such as its breadth and stability Polar cyclone. The European image was created by citizen scientist Andrea Luck with information from a JunoCam camera.
The press conference didn’t discuss what polar European science could do, but previous peer-reviewed research has covered temporary water vapor at the South Pole or try geological mapping as close to the poles as possible.
At least two major missions to Europe are expected to be launched during this decade. The European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) will then fly over Europe and several other icy worlds Starting June 2022while NASA european scissors will focus on the moon after launch in October 2024. Both missions will reach and operate in Europe in the 2030s.
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