New images of Jupiter unveiled by NASA - Prepare to be amazed
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The spacecraft Juno has been orbiting Jupiter for some time now, collecting some of the most amazing images of the largest planet in the solar system.
Juno just finished its 66th trip around Jupiter. The latest batch of photos released has been processed by so-called “citizen scientists” to bring out the highest-resolution images we’ve seen of the giant planet.
The idea is to bring out and highlight colors and details. Just because of the proximity of Juno to Jupiter, the images have been great for years. But some folks are calling this latest batch “mind-blowing.” And they certainly are amazing.
They show that Jupiter’s atmosphere is even more turbulent than thought. New data suggests that the planet’s core is not solid and much larger than originally proposed. We’ve also observed that the red spot Jupiter is so famous for is shrinking in size.
The Juno spacecraft, which was expected to last only until 2017, will carry on its work into 2025, when it will eventually fall into the atmosphere of Jupiter and burn up.
The self-destruct maneuver will insure no microbes that might have hitched a ride on Juno from Earth would be destroyed and not spread to a potential new home. Sounds a little bit like the fictional “Prime Directive” from Star Trek.
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