Close-up image transmission of a close-up flyby for the first time in 20 years since Galileo
A quarter note-like shape was captured in a high-definition black-and-white image of the American Jupiter spacecraft ‘Juno’ taking a close-up view of Jupiter’s moon ‘Europa’.
This image was taken by Juno on the 29th of last month while flying past Europa at a distance of about 412 km at a speed of 24 km/second.
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this image covers an area of 200 km horizontally and 150 km vertically at 256 to 340 meters per pixel.
The quarter note shaped geological structure is clearly captured in the lower right of the centre, measuring 67 km from north to south and 37 km from east to west.
The two stripes are parallel ridges caused by ice uplift, and the black spots in the upper and lower right center are believed to be related to the ejection from within the surface beneath the ice.
The white dots are remnants of high-energy particles from the severe radiation environment around Europa.
Juno’s close flyby was at night, but the sunlight reflecting off Jupiter’s clouds remained faintly illuminated, and the Stellar Reference Unit (SRU), a camera that points the spacecraft through the stellar position, to take a picture of the surface. from Europe
The SRU is designed to take pictures in low light conditions.
“Juno started with a focus on Jupiter, but with the extension of the mission, we have expanded our exploration to three of the four Galilean moons and the rings of the planet,” said Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), lead mission investigator. Juno “The close flyby shows that the ice shells of two of Jupiter’s most interesting moons are quite different.”
“Next year, Io, the most volcanic planet in the solar system, will also join the club explored by Juno,” he added.
Ganymede, one of the Galilean satellites and the largest satellite in the solar system, made a close flyby in June 2021.
Europa, with an equatorial diameter of 90% that of the moon, is the sixth largest moon in the solar system.
NASA plans to send the ‘Europa Clipper’ spacecraft for direct inspection in the early 2030s, and data collected by Juno will be used to prepare for the expedition.
/happy news
