Approximately 129,000 mph (208,000 km/h) is the speed at which N.A.S.A estimates Juno passed Jupiter, skimming 2,700 miles (4,400 km) over Jupiter’s cloud tops. I should put the photographs down and hold the coffee. But is that actually true?
N.A.S.A’s Juno is the first solar-powered spacecraft sent to investigate Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. Juno’s mission is to study the structure of the gas giant by keeping an eye on its gravity and magnetic field while in polar orbit around it. Studying Jupiter will improve scientists’ understanding of the large planets found throughout the cosmos.
The US$1 billion spacecraft has so far proven successful in taking pictures of Jupiter’s poles, identifying incredibly odd cloud formations, hearing and recording cryptic auroras, and conducting an unprecedented deep scan into the planet’s dense cloud tops. We’re delighted for you, Juno.
The mission’s primary objective is study, although N.A.S.A satellites are recognized for having outstanding photographic skills.Is it time to award one of those spacecraft with the Pulitzer Prize for Photography, especially after the Cassini mission has recently returned stunning images of Saturn? The moon Juno also contains some stunning pictures.
In spite of being only the second probe to circle Jupiter, Juno is the ninth probe that Earth has deployed to Jupiter and the first to take incredibly stunning photos of the gas giant.
I need to quit gazing at the pictures; hold my coffee. Even so, is that real?
