NASA has a lot of cool things going on right now.  That’s probably always the case, but two missions have been giving us new insight into our own solar system, and it’s very exciting.  The Cassini mission around Saturn has yielded information on what Saturn’s rings are really like, and that one of it’s moons could potentially support life.   Now, close passes around Jupiter have put the Juno mission in the lime light.  

                                                     photo credit: nasa.gov

RELATED:  Saturn’s Moon Has Potential Energy Source to Support Life

Juno was launched in 2011 and has been in Jupiter’s orbit since July of 2016.  Information was released this week from it’s first pass to collect data on August 27th of 2016 when it passed within only 2600 miles of “Jupiter’s swirling cloud tops.” according to nasa.gov.  Here’s how Juno’s orbit works… “once every 53 days, its trajectory approaches Jupiter from above its north pole, where it begins a two-hour transit (from pole to pole) flying north to south with its eight science instruments collecting data and its JunoCam public outreach camera snapping pictures.”  So cool.  And, the pictures it has taken are amazing.

photo credit: nasa.gov

It’s hard for many of us to get our heads around the reality of a gas giant like Jupiter.  To give you an idea of the size, Juno discovered “Earth-sized swirling storms that are densely clustered and rubbing together” covering BOTH of Jupiter’s poles.  So, you know, our whole freaking planet fits a couple of times on one pole of Jupiter.  That’s beyond big.  Juno also found that Jupiter’s magnetic field is stronger than expected at 10 times stronger than any magnetic field on Earth. 

Juno’s next pass will be on July 11th, when it will fly by Jupiter’s iconic Great Red Spot.  We can’t wait to hear what it finds! 

Jenny Flack
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