New Juno measurements show Jupiter’s equatorial and polar diameters are slightly smaller than once believed, giving scientists a clearer understanding of the gas giant’s structure.
New observations from NASA’s Juno mission have produced the most precise measurements yet of Jupiter’s size and shape, refining decades-old estimates from earlier missions.
Juno data show the planet’s equatorial diameter is 88,841 miles (142,976 km) - about 5 miles (8 km) smaller than previous measurements - while its north-south diameter is 83,067 miles (133,684 km), roughly 15 miles (24 km) less than earlier figures.
The planet is “not a perfect sphere, but rather a bit flattened” and now appears slightly more so than previously known.
The earlier figures were based on data from Voyager and Pioneer missions in the late 1970s.
NASA’s extension of the Juno mission in 2021 enabled the geometry needed to refine the measurements, including Juno passing behind Jupiter from Earth’s point of view.
“When Juno passed behind Jupiter from Earth’s perspective, its radio signal traveled through the planet’s atmosphere before reaching Earth,” said planetary scientist Eli Galanti of the Weizmann Institute of Science, lead author of the study published this week in Nature Astronomy.
“Measuring how the signal changed due to Jupiter’s atmospheric composition, density and temperature allowed us to probe the atmosphere and determine the planet’s size and shape with high precision.”
Galanti added that this alignment “did not occur during Juno’s prime mission, so these experiments were not originally planned.”
Jupiter, the fifth planet from the sun, remains the largest in the solar system, vast enough to contain more than 1,300 Earths.
Composed mainly of hydrogen and helium, it displays strong winds and large storms that form its colourful bands.
Precise measurements of Jupiter’s radius are essential for models of its interior.
“Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and contains most of its planetary mass, so understanding its composition and internal structure is central to understanding how the solar system formed and evolved,” Galanti said.
Volatiles such as water, carbon dioxide and ammonia delivered to the inner solar system were “key ingredients for its atmosphere and for life,” he added.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Thousands of residents of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government’s handling of a migration crisis that followed a deadly border surge in July.
AI may live in the cloud, but the infrastructure powering it is anything but virtual. As data centres consume ever more electricity and water, the race is on to find new ways to keep the machines running.
Hua Hong Semiconductor, China's second-largest contract chipmaker, is investing $2 billion to build a new fabrication plant in Wuxi, China as part of a push to expand capacity as domestic demand for AI-related chips outstrips what the industry can currently produce.
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has run 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds, China's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
Nvidia is teaming up with some of the biggest names in global finance in a move that underscores how artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the world's most sought-after investment themes.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment