NASA's Juno spacecraft completed its 67th close approach to Jupiter on November 25, delivering a fresh batch of data and images. This is the beginning of Juno's final year of operations, as the spacecraft is scheduled to end its mission in September 2025 with a dramatic “death dive” into the gas giant.
Juno, launched in 2011, has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016. Over its mission, it has provided groundbreaking insights into the planet's atmosphere, magnetic field, and internal structure. However, to avoid the risk of contaminating Europa – Jupiter's moon thought to harbor the potential for simple life – the spacecraft will self-destruct during its 76th perijove (close approach).
The stunning images from Juno's 67th perijove were not crafted by NASA's imaging team but by a global community of citizen scientists. These enthusiasts download raw data from JunoCam, the spacecraft's two-megapixel camera, and systematically process it into detailed, colour-enhanced visuals. Juno has been equipped with more than just a camera. Instruments like a magnetometer, a gravity science system, and a microwave radiometer have enabled it to unveil Jupiter's secrets. Its next close flyby, perijove 68, is scheduled for December 28.
https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing?phases[]=PERIJOVE+67
During its 66th close flyby on October 23, Juno captured raw data later processed by citizen scientists, revealing intricate storm regions and the subpolar folded filamentary areas. These areas, characterised by their cyclonic storm activity, are prominent in Jupiter's subpolar latitudes.
One particularly striking image processed by Jackie Branc highlights one of Jupiter's folded filamentary regions, revealing the immense complexity of the planet's atmospheric dynamics. Another photograph, created by Gerald Eichstädt, captures Amalthea, Jupiter's fifth-largest moon. The small, irregularly shaped moon, measuring about 52 miles across, appears illuminated against the dark backdrop of space.
Other missions are set to continue the exploration of the Jovian system. The European Space Agency's JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) mission is expected to arrive in 2031 to study three of Jupiter's icy moons: Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede. These moons are of particular interest for their potential to harbour subsurface oceans.
NASA's Europa Clipper, launched in October, is on its way to arrive in 2030, where it will conduct detailed investigations of Europa's surface and subsurface in search of signs of habitability.
