Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Astronomy Picture of the Day - Ganymede from Juno
NASA ^ | 28 Nov, 2023 | Image Credit & Copyright: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS; Processing & License: Kevin M. Gill

Posted on 11/28/2023 12:17:41 PM PST by MtnClimber

Explanation: What does the largest moon in the Solar System look like? Jupiter's moon Ganymede, larger than even Mercury and Pluto, has an icy surface speckled with bright young craters overlying a mixture of older, darker, more cratered terrain laced with grooves and ridges. The cause of the grooved terrain remains a topic of research, with a leading hypothesis relating it to shifting ice plates. Ganymede is thought to have an ocean layer that contains more water than Earth -- and might contain life. Like Earth's Moon, Ganymede keeps the same face towards its central planet, in this case Jupiter. The featured image was captured in 2021 by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft when it passed by the immense moon. The close pass reduced Juno's orbital period around Jupiter from 53 days to 43 days. Juno continues to study the giant planet's high gravity, unusual magnetic field, and complex cloud structures.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; jupiter; nasa; science
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 11/28/2023 12:17:41 PM PST by MtnClimber
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 11/28/2023 12:18:05 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; Agatsu77; America_Right; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔


3 posted on 11/28/2023 12:18:51 PM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

4 posted on 11/28/2023 12:27:58 PM PST by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber
"...The image was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft
when it passed by the immense moon. The close pass reduced
Juno's orbital period around Jupiter from 53 days to 43 days
..."
-
Interesting.
5 posted on 11/28/2023 12:44:01 PM PST by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Repeal The 17th

Yeah, are they saying the presence of the tiny probe affected the orbital dynamics?


6 posted on 11/28/2023 12:52:26 PM PST by doorgunner69 (When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: doorgunner69

I think they’re saying the moon caused the probe to slingshot around Jupiter.


7 posted on 11/28/2023 12:56:51 PM PST by AnglePark (My opinion is the most worthless thing I own.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

Wow.


8 posted on 11/28/2023 12:57:38 PM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: doorgunner69

Found this that clarifies:
-
https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/news/nasas-juno-mission-getting-closer-to-jupiters-moon-io
-
“Juno has been orbiting Jupiter for more than 2,505 Earth days and flown over 510 million miles (820 million kilometers).
The spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.
The first science flyby occurred 53 days later,
and the spacecraft continued with that orbital period
until its flyby of Ganymede on June 7, 2021,
which reduced its orbital period to 43 days.
The Europa flyby on Sept. 29, 2022,
reduced the orbital period to 38 days.
After the next two Io flybys, on May 16 and July 31,
Juno’s orbital period will remain fixed at 32 days.”
-
They are talking about spacecraft Juno’s orbit around Jupiter,
not Ganymede’s orbit.


9 posted on 11/28/2023 1:02:10 PM PST by Repeal The 17th (Get out of the matrix and get a real life.'s orbit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

I see two bears.


10 posted on 11/28/2023 1:24:41 PM PST by dljordan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

IMO, all the JWST $Billions should have been to directed to activities within our solar system and to advancing the efforts to return to the Moon and gettinng to Mars. Also, perhaps toward the detection of and mining of asteroid rare Earth metals.

I can’t see how images and guesstimated info from hundreds of thousands to billions of years ago gains much for humanity.


11 posted on 11/28/2023 2:46:50 PM PST by citizen (Put all LBQTwhatever programming on a new subscription service: PERV-TThose look good)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Repeal The 17th

Juno’s speed really picked up after zooming thru those moon’s respective gravity wells.

At first glance, it looks like it got splattered with space bird poop.


12 posted on 11/28/2023 3:22:07 PM PST by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber
Are they going to show where they planted the flag?


13 posted on 11/28/2023 7:36:52 PM PST by Bullish (...And just like that, I was dropped from the ping-list)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Bullish

Yes. That is a moon, so where is the flag? Maybe on Mars.


14 posted on 11/29/2023 4:21:36 AM PST by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson