The Juno space probe was sent by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in August 2011, and recently, the equipment captured new images during its upcoming journey to Jupiter. In the images, it is possible to see the beauty of Io, one of the planet’s moons, showing the volcanic regions of the most volcanic celestial body we know of in our solar system.
Recently, Juno completed its 51st journey around Jupiter, reaching 35,500 kilometers from the planet. During the trip, spacecraft captured some stunning photos as it flew over IO; equipment even flew over three of the four main moons of Jupiter: Europa, Ganymede and Io – in total, the planet has 79 moons.
The best view has an angle showing the volcanic plains of Io and the “line” between night and day, showing half the moon in brighter light. According to Kevin M. Gill, a software engineer at NASA JPL, there are several flights planned for the coming months, and new photos should show closer details of the moon.
“Io is the most volcanic celestial body we know of in our Solar System. “By observing over time at multiple passes, we can observe how volcanoes change,” said Juno Principal Investigator Scott Bolton.
Juno on Jupiter, what were the researchers’ analyzes?
From the data and images captured in the region, researchers managed to observe details of volcanoes on the moon, like when they explode or how bright and hot they are. The scientists were also able to identify which volcanoes were associated with a group or if the shape of the lava flow had changed.
Juno currently orbits Jupiter for more than 2,500 days and will continue to do so for years to come. Juno’s second extended mission will run until September 2025. In fact, the probe’s speed was reduced to allow new observations of Jupiter’s moons and rings.
“Flights in July and October will bring us closer together and lead to a double encounter with Io this December and next February, when we fly within 1,500 kilometers of Io’s surface. All these flights offer spectacular views of the volcanic activity of this incredible moon. The data must be incredible,” Bolton adds.
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Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Blaine Morgan, an experienced journalist and writer with over 8 years of experience in the tech industry. My expertise lies in writing about technology news and trends, covering everything from cutting-edge gadgets to emerging software developments. I’ve written for several leading publications including Gadget Onus where I am an author.
