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Juno nears Jupiter for July 4th orbit insertion + Jupiter images from ESO’s Very Large Telescope

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NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which launched on August 5, 2011, will arrive at Jupiter on July 4th. It will then fire its engine to go into a polar orbit around the solar system’s largest planet:  NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Closing in on Jupiter – NASA.

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Juno took this picture of Jupiter’s Moons on June 21:

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NASA’s Juno spacecraft obtained this color view on June 21, 2016, at a distance of 6.8 million miles (10.9 million kilometers) from Jupiter. As Juno makes its initial approach, the giant planet’s four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto — are visible, and the alternating light and dark bands of the planet’s clouds are just beginning to come into view. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS [Larger image]
Here is a video overview of the project:

This video is about the spacecraft technology:

The spacecraft will spend two years on scientific studies including measurements of Jupiter’s magnetosphere, gravity, atmospheric composition, and more.

Juno is the first probe to the outer planets to rely solely on solar power rather than using a radioisotope thermoelectric generator.

The ESO (European Southern Observatory) released images of Jupiter taken with the Very Large Telescope in Chile: Jupiter Awaits Arrival of Juno – ESO 

In preparation for the imminent arrival of NASA’s Juno spacecraft in July 2016, astronomers used ESO’s Very Large Telescope to obtain spectacular new infrared images of Jupiter using the VISIR instrument. They are part of a campaign to create high-resolution maps of the giant planet to inform the work to be undertaken by Juno over the following months, helping astronomers to better understand the gas giant. This false-colour image was created by selecting and combining the best images obtained from many short VISIR exposures at a wavelength of 5 micrometres.
In preparation for the imminent arrival of NASA’s Juno spacecraft in July 2016, astronomers used ESO’s Very Large Telescope to obtain spectacular new infrared images of Jupiter using the VISIR instrument. They are part of a campaign to create high-resolution maps of the giant planet to inform the work to be undertaken by Juno over the following months, helping astronomers to better understand the gas giant. This false-colour image was created by selecting and combining the best images obtained from many short VISIR exposures at a wavelength of 5 micrometres.

 

False colour images generated from VLT observations in February and March 2016, showing two different faces of Jupiter. The bluer areas are cold and cloud-free, the orangey areas are warm and cloudy, more colourless bright regions are warm and cloud-free, and dark regions are cold and cloudy (such as the Great Red Spot and the prominent ovals). The wave pattern over the North Equatorial Band shows up in orange. This view was created from VLT/VISIR infrared images from February 2016 (left) and March 2016 (right). The orange images were obtained at 10.7 micrometres wavelength and highlight the different temperatures and presence of ammonia. The blue images at 8.6 micrometres highlight variations in cloud opacity.
False colour images generated from VLT observations in February and March 2016, showing two different faces of Jupiter. The bluer areas are cold and cloud-free, the orangey areas are warm and cloudy, more colourless bright regions are warm and cloud-free, and dark regions are cold and cloudy (such as the Great Red Spot and the prominent ovals). The wave pattern over the North Equatorial Band shows up in orange. This view was created from VLT/VISIR infrared images from February 2016 (left) and March 2016 (right). The orange images were obtained at 10.7 micrometres wavelength and highlight the different temperatures and presence of ammonia. The blue images at 8.6 micrometres highlight variations in cloud opacity.

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  1. Pingback: Space-for-All at HobbySpace » Videos: Update on Juno mission to Jupiter + Apple documentary

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