The Juno probe has already completed 49 orbits to Jupiter. He March 1st passed near the moon ioand has sent us the more colorful images what we have.
The Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter in 2016, and since then he has captured the most detailed images of the planet, He is also photographing its moons more important. Recently 12 new moons of Jupiter were discovered, and it already adds up to 92.
Last March 1st approached 51,500 kilometers of the moon io, the closest to Jupiter and the third largest. It has obtained the most colorful photos of the satellite, since the New Horizons probe approached in 2006, on its way to Pluto.
The moon Io as if you were there
Curiously, the photographs that you are going to see have been taken by the JunoCama visible light camera which is not part of the official instruments of the probe. It was created by Malin Space Science Systems and allows access to the general public.
But his photos are so good that they are being used by scientists, according to Science Alert.
Here you can see the photos captured by the JunoCam he March 1stin his approach to 51,500 km of moon io:
They are not the most detailed photos we have, but they are the most realistic in terms of color. What are those orange and brown spots what do you see?
The satelite Io was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7, 1610. It is nearly identical in size to our Moon, and is the most volcanic satellite in the Solar System.
What we see in the photos are lava flows, calderasand other phenomena caused by volcanoes.
June is going to get close to Io no less than 9 times, during the next year.
We won’t have to wait long for even more detailed photos. The next May 16 the Juno probe will approach the 35,000 kilometers. Although the most anticipated visit will be the February 3, 2024. That day will approach just 1,500 kilometers of its surface. They will be the closest photos to Io of history.
Is a bleak moon: If you don’t get killed by a volcano eruption or lava flow, surely the 1,725 degrees Celsius temperature reached on its surface.
There is still a long way to travel there, but thanks to probes as JuneLittle by little we are adding color to the old black and white photographs and videos of the moon io and other celestial bodies Solar system.