NASA’s Juno spacecraft to explore Jupiter has captured its most detailed image of the ice-covered moon Europa, which scientists believe is one of the most likely places in the solar system to host extraterrestrial life.
The photo was taken last week during JunoA close flyby of the mysterious moon reveals a frozen surface intersected by bumps and grooves, as well as a slew of unusual features. Dark spots smear the ice in the image’s upper right corner and lower right-middle, which scientists believe may be caused by material rising from deep within. EuropaThe ocean and its eruption on ice.
The image, which depicts an area 93 miles (150 km) long and 125 miles (200 km) wide, reveals a strange depression in the shape of a musical quarter note stretching 42 miles (67 km) from north to south and for 23 miles. (37 km) from east to west in the lower half of the image. Scientists said that the small white dots scattered throughout the image statementare “evidence of penetration of high-energy particles from the intense radioactive environment around the Moon”.
Related: NASA’s flyby of Jupiter’s supermoon Ganymede reveals auroras and massive, unknown craters
Juno took the photo on September 29 when he performed Closest Europa Passage ever, hurtling at 15 megabits per second (24 kilobits per second) 256 miles (412 km) above the moon’s icy crust. The images give scientists their most detailed view of Europa’s surface since Galileo probein the year 2000.
Juno captured the image with the Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) camera, which normally helps Juno maintain its orientation by locating the spacecraft in relation to stars in the surrounding universe, but while in flight, the SRU doubles as a scientific instrument, capturing the stunning black-and-white image.
The image shows Europa’s surface at a resolution of 840 to 1,115 feet (256 to 340 meters) per pixel. Interestingly, the SRU took the picture at night, when the only light that illuminated the moon was reflected from the tops of the moon. JupiterClouds.
“This image unlocks an incredible level of detail in an area that has never before been photographed with such resolution and under floodlight conditions,” SRU co-principal investigator Heidi Becker said in the statement. “The team’s use of the Star Tracking Camera for Science is a great example of Juno’s pioneering capabilities. These features are very interesting. Understanding how it formed – and how it relates to Europa’s history – teaches us about the internal and external processes that make up the ice crust.”
The SRU previously proved its worth for shooting in low light conditions when he took pictures of Weak buyer links and discovered shallow lightning in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Juno’s primary scientific goal was to focus solely on the gas giant Jupiter, but when it was The mission was extended last yearScientists were able to determine some observation time for three of the planet Four major moons.
In June 2021, Juno made a close flight in GanymedeThe largest moon of all Solar SystemLikewise, taking amazing photos.
Scott Bolton, a physicist at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Juno, principal investigator, said in the statement. In 2023, cameIt is the largest volcanic body in the solar system that will join the club.”
Scientists are still analyzing data collected during Europa’s recent flight, hoping to learn more about the intriguing world, which many believe may host microbial life in the depths of the subsurface ocean. However, Juno is unlikely to find out if anything lives under the crust of frozen Europe.
NASA agency Europa clipper The mission, set to launch in 2024 with the sole purpose of studying Europe, may have a better chance of answering this important question. Equipped with a suite of nine high-tech instruments, the Europa Clipper will learn everything you have to learn about the Moon without ever having to land on its surface. Juno’s images will help guide the Europa Clipper mission planning.
Europa is the sixth largest moon in the solar system, about 10% smaller than it Earth’s Moon.
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