Jupiter Archives

This JunoCam image of Jupiter’s moon Io captures a plume of material ejected from the (unseen) volcano Prometheus. Indicated by the red arrow, the plume is just visible in the darkness below the terminator (the line dividing day and night). The image was taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft on October 15. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Press Release

Juno Will Make A Very Close Flyby of Volcanic World Io On Saturday

by Keith CowingDecember 29, 2023December 29, 2023

NASA’s Juno spacecraft will on Saturday, Dec. 30, make the closest flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io that any spacecraft has made in over 20 years. Coming within roughly 930 miles […]

SCT-determined column-averaged ammonia mole fraction in the GRS region separated by one week in time. Top: 2022-10-13 03:45UT; bottom: 2022-10-20 04:40UT. Large scale features persist, but smaller scale features show changes. While these changes may be physical, they may also represent indications of noise. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Status Report

Spatial Variations of Jovian Tropospheric Ammonia via Ground-Based Imaging

by Keith CowingDecember 27, 2023December 27, 2023

Optical bandpass-filter observations can be simply processed to determine similar horizontal ammonia distributions above the Jovian cloud tops as mid-infrared and microwave observations.

Schematic of the observing routine on Jupiter by VLT/ESPRESSO on the 22 July 2019. The small circles represent the FOV of the fibre proportional to the size of Jupiter’s disk in the context of these observations (0.5 arc seconds in diameter for the size of the FOV), and their respective labels. We also included a grid to tentatively map the relative position of each observing position in latitude and longitude. Grid lines have intervals of 15∘ on both coordinates. The solid black line on the right side of the spherical grid represents the morning terminator, while the blue dotted line marks the location of the 12 h local time meridian. The picture of the planet’s disk was taken from the Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory. Picture credits go to Gary Walker.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Press Release

Comparative Exolanetology: Jupiter Targeted By VLT/ESPRESSO Exoplanet Hunter

by Keith CowingDecember 26, 2023December 26, 2023

For the first time, an instrument to find planets light years away was used on an object in the Solar System, in a study on Jupiter’s winds.

Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Press Release

Video: The Making of Juice: The Film

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2023November 23, 2023

One giant planet. Three icy moons. An eight-year journey. One special spacecraft.

Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Press Release

Juice Spacecraft Makes Earth-Moon Flyby On Its Astrobiology-Themed Mission

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2023November 17, 2023

On 17 November 2023, ESA’s Juice spacecraft carried out one of the largest and most important manoeuvres in its eight-year journey to Jupiter.

This newly released image from the NASA Hubble Space Telescope shows the planet Jupiter in a color composite of ultraviolet wavelengths.

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Press Release

Mapping Water Clouds On Jupiter With Ultraviolet Data From Hubble

by Keith CowingNovember 8, 2023November 17, 2023

Released in honor of Jupiter reaching opposition, which occurs when the planet and the Sun are in opposite sides of the sky, this view of the gas giant planet includes […]

Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Combining Astrometry and JUICE — Europa Clipper Radio Science To Improve The Ephemerides Of The Galilean Moons

by Keith CowingJuly 31, 2023May 27, 2024

The upcoming JUICE and Europa Clipper missions to Jupiter’s Galilean satellites will provide radio science tracking measurements of both spacecraft. Such data are expected to significantly help estimating the moons’ […]

Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2023April 14, 2024

ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide a detailed investigation of the Jovian system in the 2030s, combining a suite of state-of-the-art instruments with an orbital tour tailored to […]

Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Spotlight On Ganymede, JUICE’s Primary Target

by Keith CowingApril 12, 2023November 17, 2023

A key focus of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will be Ganymede: Jupiter’s largest moon, and an ideal natural laboratory for studying the icy worlds of the Solar System.