Juno Completes Fifth Jupiter Flyby

NASA’s Juno spacecraft successfully completed its fifth flyby of the gas giant Jupiter on March 27, 2017.

Part of Jupiter’s ‘string of pearls.’ Juno captured this image with its JunoCam instrument on March 27, 2017. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS.

At the time of closest approach, Juno was about 2,700 miles (4,400 km) above the planet’s cloud tops, traveling at a speed of about 129,000 mph (57.8 km per second) relative to Jupiter.

All of Juno’s eight science instruments were operating during the flyby, collecting data that is now being returned to Earth.

This was the “fifth close flyby of Jupiter of the mission. We are excited to see what new discoveries Juno will reveal,” said Juno principal investigator Dr. Scott Bolton, from Southwest Research Institute.

“Every time we get near Jupiter’s cloud tops, we learn new insights that help us understand this amazing giant planet.”

Juno soared over Jupiter’s south pole when JunoCam acquired this image on March 27, 2017. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS.

The Juno science team also continues to analyze returns from previous flybys.

The researchers have discovered that Jupiter’s magnetic fields are more complicated than originally thought, and that the belts and zones that give the planet’s cloud tops their distinctive look extend deep into the its interior.

Observations of the energetic particles that create the incandescent auroras suggest a complicated current system involving charged material lofted from volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io.

Peer-reviewed papers with more in-depth science results from Juno’s first flybys are expected to be published within the next few months.

Jupiter’s polar region. Juno acquired this JunoCam image on March 27, 2017. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS.

“Juno is healthy, its science instruments are fully operational, and the data and images we’ve received are nothing short of amazing,” said Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate.

“Juno is providing spectacular results, and we are rewriting our ideas of how giant planets work,” Dr. Bolton added.

Juno’s next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on May 19, 2017.