See the stunning images the Juno mission has captured of Jupiter
Juno has changed how we see the red gas giant
NASA has been using space probes to explore the mysteries of Jupiter since the 1970s but few missions have been as important or revealing as the Juno probe, which was launched over a decade ago and has captured some amazing images of Jupiter.
A five-year journey to explore the mysteries of Jupiter
The Juno spacecraft embarked on a five-year journey back to our solar system’s back in August 2011 and was tasked with collecting all the data it could about Jupiter as well as lots of high quality images of the gas giant’s colorful surface.
Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
Image processing by Tanya Oleksuik, © CC BY
Juno had an outsized impact on views of the gas giant
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted on its Juno mission website that the spacecraft has completely changed our understanding of Jupiter's atmosphere, but it’s also altered how we see the largest planet in our solar system. Let’s look at how.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS /
Image processing by Thomas Thomopoulos © CC BY
Saying goodbye to Earth as Juno launched itself to Jupiter
From the moment Juno blasted off into space, it was providing the world with important images. One of the first was a goodbye shot of the Earth the spacecraft snapped off as it began its voyage to Jupiter.
Photo Credit: /JPL-Caltech/Malin Space Science Systems
Juno arrived in 2016 and began capturing Jupiter’s beauty
Juno didn’t arrive at its destination until July 2016 but one of the first images the probe captured during its very first flyby of the gas giant revealed a side of the planet that had never been seen before. The photo was titled: 'Jupiterrise'.
Enhanced image by Alex Mai (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
The distance travel was a lot but definitely worth it
The distances involved in Juno’s mission are completely unfathomable and Business Insider pointed out that the spacecraft traveled more than one billion miles—or over one and a half billion kilometers—to reach its final destination.
Photo Credit: Enhanced image by Kevin M. Gill (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS.
The raw data sent back revealed a lot about Jupiter
However, the raw data that Juno began to send back to Earth regarding Jupiter was well worth the wait for scientists, and so were the pictures. Here you can see photo layers that reveal the red, green, and blue present in Jupiter's atmosphere.
Photo Credit: NASA / SwRI / MSSS
Citizen scientists helped reveal the gas giants beauty
Citizen scientists took the raw data sent back to Earth and used it to reveal the brilliant color of Jupiter’s surface. According to Business Insider, the picture featured above is an example of what citizen scientists created for the world to see.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
Image processing by AliAbbasiPov, © CC BY
Looking at Jupiter’s violent storms in a brand new light
One of the most interesting aspects of the images that have come out of Juno’s mission to Jupiter is the way in which the planet’s storms have been highlighted and focused on to show just how amazing they look compared to previous images.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS / Image processing by Kevin M. Gill, © CC BY
The photos were unlike anything we ever saw before
Photos of Jupiter are really quite unlike anything humanity has ever seen before, and from afar, they are beautiful, though you likely would not want to be caught up in one if you were on the planet. Not that that is a realistic possibility.
Photo Credit: image by Kevin M. Gill (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS.
Juno captured an Earth-sized cyclone in the north pole
Images from one orbital flyby of Jupiter’s north pole captured eight storms that were raging at the time as well as what Business Insider called an “Earth-size cyclone at the center.” How terrifying does an Earth-sized cyclone sound?
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM
Jupiter’s south pole is just as stunning as the north
Jupiter’s south pole is just as beautiful and terrifying as its north pole. Before Juno, the scientific community never had any images of Jupiter’s south pole, which just adds one more feather to the cap of Juno’s accomplishments so far.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS / Enhanced image by Betsy Asher Hall and Gervasio Robles
The gas giant doesn’t look like you though it might
What really may strike you as you look through the images captured by Juno is the fact that Jupiter looks a lot different than what you probably thought. Oftentimes the planet is thought of as hues of red and brown but it is also very blue.
Photo Credit: Enhanced image by Kevin M. Gill (CC-BY) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
Jupiter’s signature red storm was caught in a new way
Jupiter’s signature red storm that lies near the equator of the planet is also featured in a lot of images captured by Juno. However, it wasn’t just Jupiter that was captured by the Juno spacecraft during its mission. The gas giant's moons also got their own photo shoot.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS / Image processing by Kevin M. Gill, © CC BY
The many moons of Jupiter were also caught on camera
One of the most stunning images from Juno shows Jupiter at a distance with one of the gas giant's moons: Io. The shot was captured on Juno’s fifty-third flyby of the planet and was one of its planned final flights before its mission was set to end.
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS / Image processing by Alain Mirón Velázquez © CC BY
Juno’s mission ended years ago but was extended to 2025
Juno’s primary mission ended in July 2021 according to NASA. But the spacecraft had its mission extended by an additional 42 orbits and won’t end its time flying by Jupiter until September 2025.
What amazing images might we see over the next two years?
What amazing images will be captured by Juno in the coming years has yet to be seen, but more pass overs of Jupiter’s north pole will be included as well as flybys of the gas giants moons Ganymede, Europa (pictured), and Io. Plus it will explore Jupiter’s faint rings!
Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS / Image processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0
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