NASA Will Soon Decide If Changing Juno’s Course is Best
Jupiter is named after the king of the Roman gods, and with its massive size, it definitely holds the title of king of the Solar System. NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around the gas giant in July of 2016. Due to a problem with the craft’s propulsion system, NASA is currently debating whether changing Juno’s course is the best option. What is Juno looking for out there among the stars? The Juno Mission The Juno craft is named after the wife of Jupiter, also known as Hera before the Romans took the Greek gods and renamed them for themselves. Juno was the patron goddess of the Roman Empire and was…
Astronomy Picture of the Week – Jupiter from Voyager
This photo of Jupiter featuring the Great Red Spot was taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft as it flew-by the planet in 1979. The Great Red Spot is a giant hurricane-like storm rotating in the planet’s atmosphere. It is so large that three Earth’s would fit inside. It is still unclear as to how old this storm is, since it was first recorded by astronomers over 300 years ago, suggesting that it could be much older than that. How it managed to remain active for that long still remains a mystery. Image Credit: NASA, Voyager 1 mission.