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Webb Telescope Reveals a High-Speed Jet on Jupiter
In July 2022, the Webb Space Telescope detected an intense jet shooting across the equator of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The jet is travelling at about 320 miles per hour (515 kilometres per hour) and is about 25 miles (40 km) in altitude, corresponding to Jupiter’s lower stratosphere. Astronomers knew east-west…
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Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io Looks Ominous in New Juno Image
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter for more than seven years, capturing some of the most iconic images of the planet’s swirling winds and tumultuous storms. In the most recent image from the mission, however, the gas giant poses alongside another familiar object that’s also got a lot going on. During its 53rd close…
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Webb Space Telescope Unlocks Secrets of Jupiter’s Moons
Two new studies associated with the James Webb Space Telescope’s Early Release Science program have been published, and both have to do with Jupiter’s moons, namely Ganymede and Io. The first study, led by astronomer Samantha Trumbo from Cornell University and published in Science Advances, presents a fascinating first—the unprecedented detection of hydrogen peroxide on…
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Jupiter Moon Probe Switches On Science Instrument for the First Time
It’s been less than two weeks since the European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE mission began its journey to Jupiter, but the spacecraft has wasted no time getting itself ready to explore the gas giant system.