A new video lets you hear what NASA’s Juno spacecraft saw as it flew over Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa last month.
The 11-second soundtrack expresses variations in plasma frequency using data collected by the Juno spacecraft over a 90-minute period during its flight to Europe on 29 September.
The conversion of this data into sound – the so-called data sonication – allows you to hear the frequency difference of the plasma waves observed by the probe near Europa as the plasma density changes.
Plasma wave measurements were made by the Waves instrument in the frequency range of 50 to 150 kHz and the data collected will help reveal more about Europe, According to a statement from NASA.
The Waves instrument is designed to help scientists understand the interactions between Jupiter’s atmosphere, magnetic field and magnetosphere, as well as to understand Jupiter’s Northern Lights.
It could also be useful for learning more about Europa, which scientists believe has a large underground ocean. Measuring changes in the gas density of charged particles, or plasma, surrounding Europa could provide insight into the moon’s magnetic field and, in turn, clues to the structure of the moon’s interior.
The emissions revealed that plasma density near Europe ranged from about 60 to 120 electrons per cubic centimeter, but with a very short peak near 300 electrons per cubic centimeter at Juno’s closest approach to Europe, according to NASA.
The Juno probe entered orbit around Jupiter in July 2016. This flight is part of a mission that began in 2021. Juno flew to Ganymede in June 2021, where NASA also created an impressive audio clip of the data.
Juno will also fly close to volcanically active Galilean moons, between late 2023 and early 2024, as Jupiter’s intense gravity brings Juno closer to the planet with each orbit of the spacecraft.
