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.
President Donald Trump said NATO is making a “very foolish mistake” by refusing to help the U.S. as Israel Katz claimed Ali Larijani wa...
Tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have surged after the Taliban government accused Islamabad of carrying out an attack that killed m...
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (17 March) announced that he is postponing a highly anticipated trip to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi...
Joseph Kent, head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, resigned on Tuesday (17 March), becoming the most senior official in President Dona...
A series of severe storms, blizzards and tornadoes on Monday disrupted life across much of the U.S., leaving more than 12,500 flights delayed or ca...
A technical fault in the helium system of NASA’s next-generation Moon rocket was announced on Saturday, ruling out the planned March launch window for the Artemis II mission.
NASA successfully completed a critical fueling rehearsal on Thursday (19 February) for its giant moon rocket, Artemis II, after earlier hydrogen leaks disrupted preparations for the next crewed lunar mission. The launch is scheduled for 6 March, according to the latest information from NASA.
Fresh observations by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory reveal a massive galaxy cluster forming far sooner after the Big Bang than scientists once thought possible.
A SpaceX capsule carrying a four-member crew home from orbit in an emergency return to earth necessitated by an undisclosed serious medical condition afflicting one of the astronauts splashed down safely early on Thursday (15 January) in the Pacific Ocean off California.
The other evening, I was fuelling my car at a petrol station in Kenya’s capital. It was one of those small moments most motorists barely notice. The attendant filled the tank, I glanced at the pump price, paid, and drove off.
President Donald Trump said NATO is making a “very foolish mistake” by refusing to help the U.S. as Israel Katz claimed Ali Larijani was killed in Israeli strikes.
Kazakhstan has adopted a new constitution that could allow President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to stay in power beyond 2029. The Central Election Commission confirmed that 87.15% of voters backed the constitution in a referendum held on Sunday (17 March).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released $2m in emergency funding to support health responses in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria as escalating regional conflict strains hospitals, raises displacement and increases pressure on already fragile health systems.
Kouri Richins, a U.S. woman who penned a children’s book about bereavement after the death of her husband has been found guilty of killing him.
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is pushing to make charging an electric car almost as quick and convenient as filling up a traditional petrol vehicle - a move that could help remove one of the biggest barriers to wider electric vehicle adoption.
South Korea will soon cease to be one of the few countries where Google Maps does not function fully, after its security-conscious government reversed a two-decade-old policy and approved the export of high-precision map data to overseas servers.
New research suggests 40,000-year-old carved objects from south-western Germany bear repeated marks arranged in organised sign sequences similar to early proto-cuneiform, although they are not regarded as a form of writing.
The chief executive of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, has called for more urgent research into the risks posed by artificial intelligence, warning that stronger safeguards are needed as systems become more advanced.
NASA successfully completed a critical fueling rehearsal on Thursday (19 February) for its giant moon rocket, Artemis II, after earlier hydrogen leaks disrupted preparations for the next crewed lunar mission. The launch is scheduled for 6 March, according to the latest information from NASA.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment