JAKARTA – The moon on Planet Jupiter has again revealed its form to NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The moons are Io and Europa. The sight was captured by Juno when he flew on January 12.
The flight was Juno’s 39th closest flight to Jupiter. At the time, the spacecraft was about 38,000 miles (61,000 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 52 degrees south.
The lunar view, shared by NASA on March 16, provides a stunning view of Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, with two of its many moons to the right of the frame.
An enlarged view also shared by NASA makes the Moon clearly visible, with Io on the left and Europa on the right. Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanic object in the Solar System. With hundreds of volcanoes dotting its surface, some spewing plumes of sulfur hundreds of miles high.
Launch SpaceMonday, March 21, on the other hand Europa, the smallest of Jupiter’s four giant Galilean moons, scientists believe this Moon has an icy surface, beneath which there is an ocean of liquid water.
Previous observations have found evidence of possible clumps of water gushing from Europa’s south polar region, suggesting that there is water in the moon’s subsurface oceans escaping through cracks in the ice crust.
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After getting this amazing view, in September, Juno is scheduled to fly closer to Europa. During this flyby, the probe will use several of its scientific instruments to study Europa in more detail and capture even more amazing views of the mysterious Moon.
The Juno mission will also make close approaches to lo in late 2023 and early 2024. The mission is expected to conclude in September 2025.
In the future, two major spacecraft will soon follow in Juno’s footsteps designed to focus exclusively on understanding giant moons such as missions. Europa Clipper NASA and Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) European Space Agency (ESA).
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