NASA Releases New Juno Spacecraft Findings of Jupiter

The NASA / National Aeronautics and Space Administration has released new findings about Jupiter that were made possible by the Juno spacecraft.

Jupiter’s atmosphere, along with its belts and zones, as well as its Great Red Spot have been studied. The conclusions have been published in several scientific journals.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft was launched into space in 2011. It arrived at Jupiter in 2016. The spacecraft remains in good shape ten years after its launch, and is currently on an extended mission that will end in 2025.

NASA Releases Juno’s Findings on the Great Red Spot

With the help of the Juno spacecraft, NASA has shared new findings about Jupiter.

In a statement published on the NASA website, NASA notes that “new findings from NASA’s Juno probe orbiting Jupiter offer a fuller picture of how the planet’s distinctive and colorful atmospheric features may provide insight into the processes beneath its clouds.”

Researchers are learning how Jupiter’s beautiful and violent atmosphere works, in 3D, for the first time thanks to Juno, according to Scott Bolton, principal investigator at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

Juno’s microwave radiometer (MWR) has helped scientists discover new discoveries. Some of these discoveries have to do with Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.

The Great Red Spot is actually a region of high pressure in the planet’s atmosphere. New findings from NASA have provided researchers with more information about cyclones and anticyclones in the region. NASA states that cyclones are warmer at the top and colder at the bottom. Anticyclones are the opposite.

Scientists have also discovered that the cyclones are much taller than anticipated. The Great Red Spot, for illustration, extends over 200 miles below Jupiter’s clouds.

Jupiter’s Belts and Zones

NASA has also made certain new discoveries regarding the planet’s belts and zones, which it defines as “white and reddish bands of clouds around the planet.”

NASA reports that the MWR data from the Juno spacecraft show Jupiter’s belts and zones transition 40 miles beneath the clouds of water. Microwave light makes the belt appear brighter at shallow depths, but the opposite happens at deeper depths.

More About The Juno Spacecraft by NASA.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft is a planetary probe that is now orbiting the planet Jupiter. It was deployed on August 5, 2011. As per to a story by Space, the spacecraft arrived in Jupiter five years later.

Currently, the spacecraft is on an extended mission and is celebrating its tenth anniversary of launch. In spite of that, there is a chance that Juno might not survive Jupiter’s radiation environment all the way to the end of its mission.

The extended mission of the Juno spacecraft is set to end in 2025.