Juno

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This artist concept depicts the Juno spacecraft which will launch from Earth in 2011 and will arrive at Jupiter in 2016 to study the giant planet from an elliptical, polar orbit.

Since it arrived at Jupiter in 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been probing beneath the dense, forbidding clouds encircling the giant planet – the first orbiter to peer so closely. It seeks answers to questions about the origin and evolution of Jupiter, our solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos.

Type

Orbiter

Launch

Aug. 5, 2011

Target

Jupiter

Objective

Explore the Jovian system

After enduring a five-year, 1.7 billion-mile journey from Earth, and evading showers of the most punishing radiation outside the Sun, Juno has provided breathtaking images and breakthrough discoveries from Jupiter and its moons. And in their quest to engage and inspire the public, the Juno mission team shares the pictures with the world, fueling citizen science and creative artistry.

From its very first orbit, stretching across 53 days from Jupiter’s cloud tops to the frontiers of its magnetic field, Juno has upended our views of the gas giant and its surroundings. The spacecraft found previously unseen networks of vast storms swirling around Jupiter’s poles, active volcanoes and lakes of lava on the tempestuous moon, Io, and answers to a decades-old question about winds on Jupiter extending hundreds of miles toward the planet’s interior. It’s scheduled to continue investigating the solar system’s largest planet through September 2025.

juno firsts

Catching Rays

First solar-powered spacecraft operating at Jupiter.

Five engineers in cleanroom suits inspect the Juno spacecraft's massive solar panels before launch.

Waiting for Daylight

Farthest solar-powered spacecraft from Earth.

Detailed view of Jupiter and its immense swirling cloud patterns.

Polar Explorer

First mission to orbit an outer planet from pole to pole.

Illustration of the tri-winged spacecraft over the planet Jupiter, which is tan and white striped, with a streak of blue above the Great Red Spot, a swirling orange storm on Jupiter, at lower left

Daring Dives

Closest orbiter to Jupiter, grazing deadly radiation belts.

great red spot swirling in Jupiter's clouds

Eye for Detail

Highest-resolution images ever captured at Jupiter.

Overview

Jupiter, king of the gods in Roman mythology, was also god of the sky and storms; he once concealed himself in a veil of clouds to hide his misbehavior.

His wife, Juno, queen of the gods, noticed this sudden fog and grew suspicious; she swooped down from the heavens and broke through the haze to investigate. She could see Jupiter’s true nature.

Like its namesake, NASA’s Juno spacecraft, flying low across the clouds that encircle the planet, peers through storms and cyclones to unveil Jupiter’s secrets.

The mission’s many discoveries have changed our view of Jupiter’s atmosphere and interior, revolutionizing our understanding of the planet, and of the solar system’s formation.

Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system. Juno is going there as our emissary – to interpret what Jupiter has to say.

scott bolton

Juno's principal investigator, Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio

jUPITER'S VOLCANIC MOON, io

'Steeple Mountain' and a Glass-Smooth Lake of Lava

Juno mission scientists transformed data from recent close passes of Io into animations highlighting a pair of dramatic features on the turbulent moon – a mountain piercing the sky like a cathedral spire, and a reflective lake of cooling lava dotted with islands. Juno cruised within about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the surface during flybys of Io in December 2023 and February 2024.

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Art and Science: A Sampler of Jupiter Images from JunoCam

Close up of Jupiter's swirling clouds. — NASA’s Juno spacecraft was a little more than one Earth diameter from Jupiter when it captured this mind-bending, color-enhanced view of the planet’s tumultuous atmosphere. Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager.

Enhanced image by Sean Doran (CC BY-NC-SA) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

Animated view of giant Jupiter storm. — This animation simulates the motion of clouds in Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The animation was made by applying a wind movement model to a mosaic of JunoCam images.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Gerald Eichstadt/Justin Cowart› Full image and caption

Jupiter's volcanically active moon Io casts its shadow on the planet in this dramatic image from NASA's Juno spacecraft. As with solar eclipses on the Earth, within the dark circle racing across Jupiter's cloud tops one would witness a full solar eclipse as Io passes in front of the Sun. Such events occur frequently on Jupiter because it is a large planet with many moons. In addition, unlike most other planets in our solar system, Jupiter's axis is not highly tilted relative to its orbit, so the Sun never strays far from Jupiter's equatorial plane (+/- 3 degrees). This means Jupiter's moons regularly cast their shadows on the planet throughout its year. Juno's close proximity to Jupiter provides an exceptional fish-eye view, showing a small fraction near the planet's equator. The shadow is about 2,200 miles (3,600 kilometers) wide, approximately the same width as Io, but appears much larger relative to Jupiter. A little larger than Earth's Moon, Io is perhaps most famous for its many active volcanoes, often caught lofting fountains of ejecta well above its thin atmosphere. Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill created this enhanced-color image using data from the spacecraft's JunoCam imager. The raw image was taken on Sept. 11, 2019 at 8:41 p.m. PDT (11:41 p.m. EDT) as the Juno spacecraft performed its 22nd close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 4,885 miles (7,862 kilometers) from the cloud tops at a latitude of 21 degrees. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA23437

In this view of a vortex near Jupiter's north pole, NASA's Juno mission observed the glow from a bolt of lightning. On Earth, lightning bolts originate from water clouds, and happen most frequently near the equator, while on Jupiter lightning likely also occurs in clouds containing an ammonia-water solution, and can be seen most often near the poles. In the coming months, Juno's orbits will repeatedly take it close to Jupiter as the spacecraft passes over the giant planet's night side, which will provide even more opportunities for Juno's suite of science instruments to catch lightning in the act. Juno captured this view as Juno completed its 31st close flyby of Jupiter on Dec. 30, 2020. In 2022, Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill processed the image from raw data from the JunoCam instrument aboard the spacecraft. At the time the raw image was taken, Juno was about 19,900 miles (32,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops, at a latitude of about 78 degrees as it approached the planet. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25020

See Jupiter's Great Red Spot as you've never seen it before in this new Jovian work of art using data from NASA's Juno imager. — See Jupiter's Great Red Spot as you've never seen it before in this new Jovian work of art. Artist Mik Petter created this unique, digital artwork using data from the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft. The art form, known as fractals, uses mathematical formulas to create art with an infinite variety of form, detail, color and light. The tumultuous atmospheric zones in and around the Great Red Spot are highlighted by the author's use of colorful fractals. Vibrant colors of various tints and hues, combined with the almost organic-seeming shapes, make this image seem to be a colorized and crowded petri dish of microorganisms, or a close-up view of microscopic and wildly-painted seashells. The original JunoCam image was taken on July 10, 2017 at 7:10 p.m. PDT (10:10 p.m. EDT), as the Juno spacecraft performed its seventh close flyby of Jupiter. The spacecraft captured the image from about 8,648 miles (13,917 kilometers) above the tops of the clouds of the planet at a latitude of -32.6 degrees. Enhanced image by Mik Petter (CC-NC-SA) based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

This abstract Jovian artwork used data from the JunoCam imager onboard NASA's Juno spacecraft capturing a close-up view of numerous storms in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter. — Citizen scientist Rick Lundh created this abstract Jovian artwork using data from the JunoCam imager onboard NASA's Juno spacecraft. The original image captures a close-up view of numerous storms in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter. To produce this artwork, Lundh selected a more contrasting part of one of Jupiter's storms, then cropped the image and applied an oil-painting filter. Enhanced image by Rick Lundh based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

This color-enhanced image of a massive, raging storm in Jupiter's northern hemisphere was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft during its ninth close flyby of the gas giant planet. The image was taken on Oct. 24, 2017 at 10:32 a.m. PDT (1:32 p.m. EDT). At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 6,281 miles (10,108 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds of Jupiter at a latitude of 41.84 degrees. The spatial scale in this image is 4.2 miles/pixel (6.7 kilometers/pixel). The storm is rotating counter-clockwise with a wide range of cloud altitudes. The darker clouds are expected to be deeper in the atmosphere than the brightest clouds. Within some of the bright "arms" of this storm, smaller clouds and banks of clouds can be seen, some of which are casting shadows to the right side of this picture (sunlight is coming from the left). The bright clouds and their shadows range from approximately 4 to 8 miles (7 to 12 kilometers) in both widths and lengths. These appear similar to the small clouds in other bright regions Juno has detected and are expected to be updrafts of ammonia ice crystals possibly mixed with water ice. Citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Seán Doran processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager.

A grayish moon with bright spots and a "belly button" crater at the bottom. — This image of the Jovian moon Ganymede was obtained by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft during its June 7, 2021, flyby of the icy moon. At the time of closest approach, Juno was within 645 miles (1,038 kilometers) of its surface – closer to Jupiter’s largest moon than any other spacecraft has come in more than two decades.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

This view from NASA's Juno spacecraft captures colorful, intricate patterns in a jet stream region of Jupiter's northern hemisphere known as "Jet N3." Jupiter's cloud tops do not form a simple, flat surface. Data from Juno helped scientists discover that the swirling bands in the atmosphere extend deep into the planet, to a depth of about 1,900 miles (3,000 kilometers). At center right, a patch of bright, high-altitude "pop-up" clouds rises above the surrounding atmosphere. Citizen scientist Gerald Eichstädt created this enhanced-color image using data from the spacecraft's JunoCam imager. The original image was taken on May 29, 2019, at 1:01 a.m. PDT (4:01 a.m. EDT) as the Juno spacecraft performed its 20th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometers) from the tops of the clouds, at a latitude of 39 degrees north. PIA23439 - Enhanced image by Gerald Eichstädt based on images provided courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

This highly stylized view of Jupiter's icy moon Europa was created by reprocessing an image captured by JunoCam during the mission's close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022. — This highly stylized view of Jupiter's icy moon Europa is based on an image captured by JunoCam, the public engagement camera aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft, during the mission's close flyby on Sept. 29, 2022. Citizen scientist Fernando Garcia Navarro created the image by processing a JunoCam previously worked on by fellow citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill. Navarro calls his rendering "Fall Colors of Europa." In processing raw images taken by JunoCam, members of the public create deep-space portraits of the Jovian moon that aren't only awe-inspiring but also worthy of further scientific scrutiny. Juno citizen scientists have played an invaluable role in processing the numerous JunoCam images obtained during science operations at Jupiter. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25335

JunoCam_50_Images — On April 8, 2023, NASA’s Juno mission completed its 50th close pass by Jupiter since the spacecraft arrived at the giant planet in 2016. In celebration of 50 orbits, this graphic contains 50 images that provide just a small sampling of the data Juno has returned so far, including images from JunoCam and other instruments, and spectacular views of Earth, Jupiter, and Jupiter’s large moons Ganymede, Europa, and Io. https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/news/nasa-s-juno-mission-marks-50-orbits-around-jupiter

Latest Juno News

Explore All Juno Mission Stories

Article

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NASA’s Juno Gives Aerial Views of Mountain, Lava Lake on Io

Article

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NASA’s Juno Mission Measures Oxygen Production at Europa

An image of an orangish-brown moon showing craters and other surface detail; the right hemisphere is lit with sunlight reflected from Jupiter.

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For Your Processing Pleasure: The Sharpest Pictures of Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io in a Generation

Article3 months ago

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NASA’s Juno to Get Close Look at Jupiter’s Volcanic Moon Io on Dec. 30

Article4 months ago

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NASA’s Juno Finds Jupiter’s Winds Penetrate in Cylindrical Layers

Article6 months ago

Exploring Jupiter

A slideshow examining 400 years of Jupiter studies, from Galileo the Italian astronomer to Galileo the NASA orbiter, as well as the other eight spacecraft that have visited the king of planets since 1973 – up to the present-day Juno.

"Why with Nye"

In this video series, science educator Bill Nye explains the journey, makeup, and science goals of the Juno spacecraft.

Juno's Io Encounters

Consecutive flybys of Jupiter's moon Io – the most volcanic world in our solar system – offered the nearest view since the Galileo orbiter visited in 2001.

Juno had monitored Io from afar since the spacecraft arrived at Jupiter in 2016. Then, as part of its 57th and 58th orbits around the giant planet, Juno came within roughly 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of Io's surface – less than the distance between Los Angeles and Seattle. The close passes, on Dec. 30, 2023, and Feb. 3, 2024, allowed scientists to compare data and images from these visits with previous observations that Juno and other craft made of this volatile world, slightly larger than Earth's Moon. Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter's powerful gravity and the smaller pull from two neighboring moons, churning its insides and creating eruptions and lakes of lava that cover its surface. Meanwhile, the gravitational pull Io exerted on Juno during the Feb. 3 flyby has reduced the spacecraft’s orbit around Jupiter to 33 days. It originally had been circling Jupiter and its environs in 53-day orbits, after it arrived at the king of planets on July 4, 2016.

Jupiter's Volatile Moon, Io

The turbulent world is dotted with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting so powerfully they're visible with large telescopes on Earth

The moon – one of four that astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered to be orbiting Jupiter in 1610 – is caught in a gravitational tug-of-war between its sibling moons, Europa and Ganymede, and the massive Jupiter. This creates tremendous tidal forces, like ocean tides on Earth, but which cause Io's solid surface to bulge up and down (or in and out) by as much as 330 feet (100 meters).

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