The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has recently shared a new photo snapped by its Juno spacecraft. The image features the planet Jupiter as well as its two moons, Io and Europa.
NASA's Juno Spacecraft Photographs Jupiter, Io, and Europa
NASA's Juno spacecraft has photographed the planet Jupiter as well as its two moons, Europa and Io.
According to a report by Space, the photo was snapped during Juno's 39th close flyby, which took place on Jan. 12. The report shares that the photo "offers a stunning view of Jupiter's southern hemisphere, with two of its many moons to the right of the frame."
Juno is actually scheduled to make a flyby of Europa this September. Per the report, the goal of this flyby is to capture more photos of one of Jupiter's many moons as well as to study it in greater detail.
As for Io, Juno is set to make a flyby next year and sometime in early 2024.
Space has noted that Juno's mission is expected to end in 2025. Two more missions that will focus on Jupiter's moon is set to follow Juno.
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Jupiter and Its Moons
According to NASA, Jupiter has a total of 53 named moons as well as 26 moons that are yet to be named. Out of these 79 moons, four of them are known as the Galilean satellites.
As the name suggests, the term was coined after Galileo Galilei. The Italian astronomer is known to be the first one to have observed the moons. Included in the Galilean satellites are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Callisto
Despite having a cratered surface, Callisto is known to have very few small craters. According to NASA, this indicates that the moon has "a small degree of current surface activity."
Europa
This moon's surface is covered in mostly water ice and it is actually believed that it contains more water than our own planet does. Europa also has what is known as a habitable zone and scientists have theorized that life forms may exist on this particular moon.
Ganymede
Ganymede is not just the largest moon of Jupiter; it is also the largest moon in the entire solar system. It is also the only moon known to internally generate its own magnetic field.
Io
Considered as the most volcanically active body in the entire system, Io's surface is colorful thanks to the sulfur it covers it. It is also known to travel in a slightly elliptical orbit.
NASA's Juno Spacecraft
Launched in 2011 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the Juno spacecraft is currently orbiting Jupiter. However, it took the spacecraft a total of five years before it even entered the planet's polar orbit.
Juno's mission is to learn more about Jupiter's origin and evolution, which in turn will help researchers understand more about giant planets and the solar system as a whole.
According to NASA, Juno is actually already on its extended mission. As mentioned earlier, its mission will end in 2025, but there is a possibility that it will last until Juno's end of life.
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