Tag

Jupiter

All articles tagged with #jupiter

space12 hours ago•12 min saved

Galileo Survives Antenna Failure Through Ground-and-Software Rescue

When Galileo’s large high-gain antenna failed to deploy in 1991, NASA and the ground team rewrote onboard and ground software, upgraded the Deep Space Network, and compressed data to squeeze its flagship science through a low-gain antenna. The workaround let Galileo return substantial science from Jupiter (arriving in 1995 and operating until 2003), including studies of its atmosphere, Io’s volcanism, and evidence supporting a subsurface ocean on Europa, albeit at data rates far lower than originally planned.

via Space Daily|

#antenna #data-compression #deep-space-network

space-and-spaceflight22 hours ago•17 min saved

Ganymede’s Forming Core Sparks a New Dynamo Theory

A Science Advances study suggests Ganymede’s metallic core is still forming today, and that ongoing convection in this migrating, hot iron core powers its long-unique magnetic field via a ‘cold-start’ dynamo; the results don’t fully overturn older theories, but they offer a new mechanism to explain why Ganymede’s dynamo persists while Callisto shows no obvious one, with implications for Europa and future data from Europa Clipper and Juice.

via Gizmodo|

#core #dynamo #ganymede

space1 day ago•7 min saved

Beyond Jupiter, a dusty ring sparked a multi-generation planetesimal factory

Simulations show a dust-loaded ring just outside Jupiter acted as a long-lasting dust trap, producing multiple generations of planetesimals with varied compositions over millions of years and linking to meteorite types like carbonaceous chondrites, offering insight into the Solar System’s early planet-building history.

via ScienceDaily|

#carbonaceous-chondrites #dust-trap #jupiter

observing1 day ago•6 min saved

Mercury Joins Venus and Jupiter in the After-Sunset Sky

Mercury becomes readily visible for a short time after sunset, lining up with Venus and Jupiter in the evening sky. Mercury is about magnitude -1.1 and roughly 6° above the western horizon; Jupiter shines high in eastern Gemini at magnitude -1.9, with Venus (magnitude -3.9) between them. To spot Mercury, draw a line from Jupiter through Venus toward the horizon. Sunset is around 8:17 PM and sunrise about 5:37 AM (local time).

via Astronomy Magazine|

#evening-sky #jupiter #mercury

space1 day ago•11 min saved

Galileo’s 58-Minute Descent Unveils Jupiter’s Hidden Atmosphere

Galileo’s 1995 Jupiter probe descended into the gas giant, transmitting for about 58 minutes before the harsh pressures ended the signal; it provided the first in-situ measurements of a giant planet’s atmosphere—temperatures, pressures, densities, chemistry, and cloud structure—revealing a drier-than-expected hot-spot region and hotter, denser conditions, while highlighting the limitation that a single descent cannot characterize the entire planet.

via Space Daily|

#galileo-mission #jupiter #planetary-science

space2 days ago•58 min saved

Ganymede’s hidden heat may power a late-forming magnetic dynamo

New Science Advances study suggests Jupiter’s moon Ganymede could have formed a metal core later than previously thought and still sustain a magnetic field via a warming-driven dynamo powered by protracted core formation, radioactive heating, and tidal forces. This challenges the idea that dynamos always originate early and cool over time, and implies Ganymede’s magnetism—potentially active today—arises from a “warm start” process that could influence how we think about magnetic fields on other worlds, including exoplanets.

via Live Science|

#dynamo #ganymede #jupiter

space6 days ago•71 min saved

Crescent Moon Tags Beehive Cluster as Planets Line Up After Sunset

Look west after sunset on May 21 to spot a crescent Moon near the Beehive Cluster (Messier 44) in Cancer, with Jupiter nearby to the lower right and Venus and Mercury forming a diagonal line beyond; Mercury will be very close to the horizon, so a clear view is needed. Binoculars will reveal the Beehive cluster, and a small telescope can show lunar craters along the terminator as the Moon drifts away and sets in the early hours of May 22.

via Space|

#beehive-cluster #jupiter #mercury

space7 days ago•4 min saved

Rare Sunset Show: Moon Aligns with Jupiter Tonight

On May 20, 2026, a rare western-sky pairing brings the waxing crescent Moon into close view with Jupiter after sunset, with Venus also visible near the horizon; a small telescope can reveal Jupiter's cloud bands and its four Galilean moons, while the Moon's craters line up along the terminator. Timings are location-dependent, so check local sunset guides—nearly in the northeastern U.S. Venus sets about 2.5 hours after sunset, followed by Jupiter, with the Moon visible until around midnight.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#astronomy #jupiter #moon

science8 days ago•3 min saved

Three-Body Evening Show: Crescent Moon Meets Venus and Jupiter This Week

From 18 to 21 May 2026, a thin crescent Moon will meet Venus and Jupiter after sunset in the western sky, giving a three-body view that culminates in the Venus–Jupiter conjunction on 9 June; keep a clear western horizon and avoid looking at the Sun. The Moon will continue waxing toward a full Moon on 31 May 2026, a monthly blue Moon; if you observe or photograph the alignment, share your pics with Sky at Night.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|

#conjunction #jupiter #moon

space15 days ago•14 min saved

Ganymede’s secret core may still be forming after billions of years

A new study suggests Jupiter’s moon Ganymede could still be differentiating its metallic core billions of years after formation, with iron–sulfur melt slowly feeding a protocore that powers a long‑lived magnetic dynamo and likely an ocean beneath its ice. If correct, this ongoing core growth could explain why Ganymede remains magnetically active while other moons fade, and future missions like JUICE may test the idea.

via Interesting Engineering|

#core-formation #ganymede #icy-moons

science18 days ago•40 min saved

Western Sky Celestial Show: Venus, Jupiter and a Crescent Moon Align in May

Jupiter and Venus will align in the western sky with a slim, crescent Moon in mid‑May, offering a prime stargazing moment from sunset to midnight; Jupiter will sit high near Gemini (Pollux and Castor) and dominate the sky, while Venus, far brighter, will appear lower. The alignment is strongest between May 18–20—with Mercury also in the vicinity—and a telescope may reveal Jupiter’s cloud bands and its moons Io and Ganymede, aided by Earthshine reflecting off Venus.

via Good News Network|

#astronomy #jupiter #science

space19 days ago•71 min saved

Juno captures close-up of Jupiter's inner moon Thebe

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured a rare close-up view of Jupiter's inner moon Thebe during a May 1, 2026 flyby, about 3,100 miles away, using its Stellar Reference Unit camera, which wasn't designed for close-up moon imaging; Thebe—discovered by Voyager 1 in 1980—is Jupiter's second-largest inner moon and remains a focus during Juno's extended mission.

via Space|

#juno #jupiter #nasa

science27 days ago•12 min saved

Earth May Be the Galaxy’s Rare Spark for Complex Life

The Rare Earth hypothesis argues that while microbial life may be common, a precise, unlikely sequence of conditions—galactic position, a Jupiter-like shield, a large Moon for climate stability, plate tectonics, and a late-evolving complex cell lineage—could make complex life and civilizations extraordinarily rare; even as many habitable-zone planets exist, some researchers critique the view, but the article urges taking this data-driven rarity seriously and suggests we may find microbes across the galaxy while civilizations remain scarce.

via Space Daily|

#exoplanets #extraterrestrial-life #jupiter

science1 month ago•37 min saved

Earth's Inner-Solar-System Roots: New Study Maps Our Planet's Origins

New isotopic analyses of meteorites and early Earth rocks indicate Earth formed predominantly from material from the inner Solar System, with Jupiter’s gravity acting as a barrier that limited outer-Solar-System material; the planet’s overall isotopic composition is homogeneous, while water (and some carbon) likely arrived later from outer-body sources.

via Yahoo|

#earth-origin #inner-solar-system #isotopes

space1 month ago•9 min saved

Jupiter’s Stealth Storms Reveal Lightning Up to 100× Earth Power

Using NASA’s Juno data and Hubble imagery, scientists find Jupiter’s storms unleash lightning far stronger than Earth’s—some flashes may reach 100× Earth’s power, with total energy hundreds to thousands of times greater. By tracking isolated 2021–22 “stealth” storms, researchers correlated microwave signals with specific events in 100+ km‑tall clouds, though exact energies depend on wavelength and storm dynamics. The study, published in AGU Advances (2026), highlights differences in Jupiter’s hydrogen‑rich atmosphere and ammonia‑water ice (potential “mushball” hail) physics, while leaving many details of the mechanism unresolved.

via SciTechDaily|

#astronomy #juno #jupiter