Juno originated from the name of Jupiter's wife in ancient Roman legends. Launched by NASA on the 5th of August 2011, Juno has completed the 5 years trip to Jupiter's orbit. Since June 2016, Juno has since then observed its partner. Searching deep below its atmosphere.
Under the New Frontiers Program, Juno was designed to study the water quantity, general composition, temperature, cloud motions, and other properties of Jupiter's atmosphere. NASA refers to it as the 3D view of airspace in Jupiter.
Picture: Jupiter's atmosphere under Juno's observation in comparison to normal view.(Credit: NASA)
Under enormous amount of pressure, hydrogen gas in Jupiter is compressed into metallic hydrogen which exist in fluid form. At certain depths, it will behave similar to metal conducting electricity. Therefore, believed to be the reason for its intense gravitational strength. This magnetic property also helps to create the brightest auroras in the solar system. It was planned that Juno will first-handedly take samples of Jupiter's charged molecules.
There are many mysteries that could be solved by unveiling the interior of Jupiter. Astronomers deduced that as Jupiter was formed with high percentage of helium and hydrogen, then it must've been older than most planets in the solar system. Older enough to catch the remaining of our sun's birth material. Currently, this is just a hypothesis for an ongoing debate.
Suffice to say, an overview on Jupiter's gravitational and magnetic field will unveil the internal structure and mass of its core. On June 2021, Juno has completed its mission of observing Jupiter's atmosphere. With the results safely in astronomers' hand, we as the general public can only wait for the full report of this final piece. Meanwhile, Juno will continue to stay in Jupiter's orbit. Becoming a part of the Jovian system.
Reference:
Greicius, T. (Nov 9, 2021). Juno Overview. Retrieved from: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/overview/index.html
Comments