Juno Completes Its Third Jupiter Flyby

On Dec. 11, 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft successfully completed its third flyby over Jupiter’s mysterious cloud tops.

Jupiter’s ‘pearl.’ Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS.

At the time of closest approach, Juno was about 2,580 miles (4,150 km) above the gas giant’s roiling cloud tops and traveling at a speed of about 129,000 mph (57.8 km per second) relative to the planet.

Seven instruments and the spacecraft’s JunoCam were operating during the flyby to collect data that is now being returned to Earth.

“We have a healthy spacecraft that is performing its mission admirably, and we are able to obtain great science every time we fly by,” said Juno project manager Dr. Rick Nybakken, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“What we do not want to do is add any unnecessary risk, so we are moving forward carefully.”

The above image was taken on Dec. 11 at 12:27 p.m. EST (9:27 a.m. PST) by the JunoCam imager, a visible-light camera designed to capture remarkable pictures of Jupiter’s poles and cloud tops.

It highlights the seventh of eight features forming a ‘string of pearls’ on Jupiter — massive counterclockwise rotating storms that appear as white ovals in the gas giant’s southern hemisphere.

Since 1986, these white ovals have varied in number from six to nine. There are currently eight white ovals visible.

At the time the image was taken, Juno was about 40,000 miles (24,600 km) from Jupiter.

The image below was taken by the JunoCam on Dec. 11 at 01:10 p.m. EST (10:10 a.m. PST).

Jupiter’s south pole. Image credit: NASA / SwRI / MSSS.

Juno launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.

During its mission of exploration, Juno soars low over the planet’s cloud tops — as close as about 2,600 miles (4,100 km).

The orbiter is currently in a 53-day orbit, and its next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on Feb. 2, 2017.