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Friday, May 26, 2023

Unveiling the Secrets of Jupiter and Its Volcanic Moon Io: A Glimpse into the Cosmos


1:30 PM |

Jupiter, the colossal fifth planet from the Sun, stands as the solar system's most massive entity, weighing over twice the combined mass of all other planets. With a staggering count of over 75 moons, Jupiter continues to astonish scientists.


Tracing back to 1610, Galileo Galilei's discovery of the first extraterrestrial moons revolutionized our perception of the universe. The distinct stripes and whirls on Jupiter's surface are in fact frigid, gusty clouds of ammonia and water, suspended in a hydrogen and helium-rich atmosphere.


Io, Jupiter's third-largest moon, holds the title of the most volcanically active celestial body in the solar system. Boasting hundreds of volcanoes, some spewing towering lava fountains, Io is caught in a gravitational tug-of-war between Jupiter's immense pull and the smaller, yet precisely timed forces from its neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede.


Exploring Jupiter: The Juno Mission

* Launch: August 5, 2011

* Jupiter Arrival: July 4, 2016

* Objective: Investigate Jupiter's origin and evolution, search for solid planetary core, map magnetic field, gauge water and ammonia levels in the deep atmosphere, and study auroras.


The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) oversees the Juno mission for NASA, with principal investigator Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio at the helm. As a part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, the mission is managed at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, under the supervision of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is responsible for constructing the spacecraft.


*Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)/Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS)*


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