#头条群星9月榜 #
On Thursday, September 29, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew over Jupiter's icy moon Europa, also known as Europa. The spacecraft took several close-up photos of Europa just 219 miles from its surface.
The stunning details of Europa's surface can be seen in these photos, the closest to the satellite since NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew over Europa on January 3, 2000.
Juno close-up image of Europa's surface taken on September 29, 2022. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
In the image above, we can see Europa's icy surface in stunning detail. This part of the surface is located north of the equator. Part of the night of the satellite can be seen in this image, making the topographic features more distinct.
Europa is one of Jupiter's four largest moons, known as Galilean after their discoverer, Galileo, and Europa is also the sixth largest moon in the solar system, slightly smaller than Earth's moon.
Astronomers believe Europa has a deep, saltwater ocean beneath its frozen surface whose ice surface is estimated to be several miles thick, sparking debate about whether Europa's ocean has the key ingredients needed to sustain life.
Europa image taken by Juno on September 29, 2022. Image credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS
In the image above, Europa's surface appears to have a brown tone. Actually, as shown in the image above, Europa is more like a light gray. This is because these images are not processed for the sake of scientific discovery, but only for public observation and participation.
According to Dr. Candice J. Hansen-Koharcheck, a scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, who operates Juno's main camera, "We didn't make an effort for white balance, and it was never intentional. ”
Future science missions to Europa include NASA's Europa Clipper, which will launch in 2024. Europa Clipper will focus on studying multiple aspects of the moon, including its atmosphere, surface and interior. The main scientific goal of the mission will be to determine whether Europa has enough factors to support life in its oceans.