Space

New science from Jupiter

Posted by

and

May 7, 2018

NASA’s Juno mission launched on August 5, 2011, traveled 1.74 billion miles (2.8 billion km) and entered Jupiter’s orbit on July 4, 2016.

This new NASA ScienceCast video rounds up some of Juno’s coolest finds.

Juno’s mission is to measure Jupiter’s composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and polar magnetosphere. It’s also searching for clues about how the planet formed, including whether it has a rocky core; how much water there is within the deep atmosphere; and Jupiter’s deep winds, which can reach speeds up to 384 miles per hour (618 km per hour).

Earth will pass between Jupiter and the sun this week! That means we’re now in the middle of the best time of year to see the planet. Learn more – including how to spot Jupiter – at EarthSky’s Tonight page.

Bottom line: NASA video describes the newest science from the Juno mission to Jupiter.

Eleanor Imster

View Articles

About the Author:

Eleanor Imster has helped write and edit EarthSky since 1995. She was an integral part of the award-winning EarthSky radio series almost since it began until it ended in 2013. She and her husband live in Tennessee, where they enjoy guitar playing and singing. They have 2 grown sons.