NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter continues to awe scientists with its latest images and data capture of the gas giant’s moon Io. During its 60th flyby of Jupiter on April 9, Juno captured mesmerizing images of Io, including the first-ever image of its south polar region. The mission has transformed recent data into animations, revealing a mountain and a lake of cooling lava on the moon.
Updates on Jupiter’s polar cyclones and water abundance were shared during a recent news conference at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly in Vienna on April 16. Juno’s close flybys of Io in December 2023 and February 2024 unveiled new details about the moon’s volcanoes and a massive 127-mile-long lava lake known as Loki Patera. Data collected by Juno’s Microwave Radiometer instrument highlighted Io’s relatively smoother surface compared to Jupiter’s other moons.
The mission’s extended mission is providing improved resolution of Jupiter’s northern polar cyclones, showcasing different structures within the cyclones. Scientists are also utilizing Juno’s data to study Jupiter’s water abundance, offering insights into the gas giant’s formation. Recent findings have confirmed that water abundance near Jupiter’s equator is significantly higher than the solar abundance when compared to hydrogen.
Juno’s 61st flyby of Jupiter in May marked another successful data collection opportunity for the mission. As Juno continues to orbit Jupiter and its moons, researchers remain hopeful that further data will enhance our understanding of Jupiter’s water abundance in various regions and shed light on the structure of its core. Stay tuned for more groundbreaking discoveries from Juno’s ongoing exploration of Jupiter.
“Prone to fits of apathy. Devoted music geek. Troublemaker. Typical analyst. Alcohol practitioner. Food junkie. Passionate tv fan. Web expert.”