For my post this week, I decided to learn more about the Jovian planets, specifically Jupiter. Through my research, I discovered that Jupiter had a spacecraft sent by NASA to observe Jupiter named Juno.
Juno was launched in 2011 and reached Jupiter by 2016. It is a rotating, solar-powered spacecraft. Because of the images and measurements Juno has been able to take, scientists have been able to learn a lot about Jupiter and its atmosphere. In December 2019, scientists were able to observe a new cyclone forming new Jupiter’s south pole. NASA estimated that this new cyclone was about the size of the state of Texas. Also, as recently as March 3rd, Juno was able to observe two storms merging on Jupiter’s surface which created a spectacular image.
It will be interesting to see what new discoveries Juno has in store for NASA as our understanding of Jupiter and the Jovian planets continues to grow.
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I would definitely not like to be caught in that storm! I’ve always found Jupiter’s storms very interesting. Isn’t there a storm of Jupiter that has been raging for almost 200 years. I believe it’s called the Great Red Spot. Could you imagine if storms lasted that long on Earth? I’m sure it would be devastating.
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JUNO has done incredible research and the images it has taken are breathtaking! Back when there was speculation that the great red spot was shrinking, JUNO was able to show that this was not the case at all, and the storm was actually growing taller! It will also be crucial in understanding Jupiter’s interior, such as if there is a solid core and what it would be made of.
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I was attracted to this blog because of the beautiful image. Sometimes I forget that other planets have weather and are changing just like Earth. I wonder if we can better understand the weather on Earth by learning more about the weather on other planets in our Solar System. I think this may be especially helpful in understanding the history of our planet’s weather (and possibly the future) by looking at planets that are currently similar to the way Earth used to be.
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