a Few days before Christmas, the Juno space probe Nasa is to 16. Around 5000 kilometres above the clouds towers of the Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system fly past. The probe is located on a huge elliptical Orbit around the Jovian planets and collects in your 32 over-flights data on the planet. The maneuver marked the mid-point of the main mission, which explored the mighty gas giant until 2021.

Nasa has now released a new Video of the previously collected images. The images show the special atmosphere of the oldest and largest planets in our solar system in all its glory. We have slowed down the Video so that the level of detail of the images comes out better.

(To Enlarge, click here.) The scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran generating images from the raw data of Juno. (29. October 2018) image: Nasa/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstädt/Seán Doran

unlike the earth and Mars Jupiter is a giant Disaster, which is probably originated shortly after the sun. Juno’s Mission is, therefore, a flight in the beginnings of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. This year, researchers at the universities of Bern and Zurich and the ETH Zurich have signed with a new model, the formation of the gas giants. Particularly striking on Jupiter, the cloud formations over its surface, and its colored stripes.

The spacecraft flies in an elliptical Orbit around the planet. Source: Nasa

Juno has already delivered new insights into the nature and dynamics of the atmosphere. The Mission has shown that the distinctive bands of Jupiter run deeper than previously thought. In the polar regions of the gas giants surprising Storm raging in addition, merry-go-rounds, which are also in the new Video is visible again. Also impressive is the visualization of the infrared data, the give an impression of depth and structure of the weather layer, and these storms to the poles.

« From its tip to the deepest point of the weather layer spans 3000 kilometers, and contains around one percent of the mass of Jupiter », was announced by Nasa in March. In addition, the researchers found, thanks to the space probe, the Planet rotates under the weather layer, almost like a solid body.

Juno flies so close to the gas giant, passing by Matadorbet like no space vehicle ever in August 2016, the probe approached the planet, even on a 4200 km. But the gas giant had frequent visits to the earth. Among other things, collected by Pioneer 10 in 1973, and the two Voyager probes in 1979, in the past flight data of the planet. The German-American probe Galileo flew to Jupiter, fell in 2003, as planned, in the planet’s atmosphere and burned up there.

This closeness brings problems. Jupiter’s radiation is extremely high, and among his clouds, a strong magnetic field. Juno will be exposed to during their Mission in total, about as much radiation as more than 100 million x-ray pictures at the dentist. The probe, therefore, has a titanium case and is virtually an « armed tanks, » as Nasa’s chief scientist, Scott Bolton at the Start of the Mission said.

The space probe Juno is bigger than a basketball field. Source: Nasa

Juno’s Mission had to be extended in June of this year to three years, because the probe flies in a larger Orbit than originally planned. Actually, you should have until February of this year, all 32 passes completed. Now the exploration of the planets lasts until 2021. Then Juno, as Galileo will plunge into Jupiter’s atmosphere. Then even the « armed tanks will burn up ». Thus, the possibility is avoided that the probe bounces into one of the moons of Jupiter, and this contaminated.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 14.12.2018, 21:36 PM