Posted on 01/27/2024 12:31:39 PM PST by Red Badger
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute)
NASA's Juno spacecraft made a close flyby of Jupiter's intriguing moon Europa in 2022, revealing potential hints of present day surface activity.
The spacecraft's Stellar Reference Unit (SRU), which is a star camera designed to assist Juno's onboard attitude determination, was used to image Europa's surface with high resolution while being lit up by Jupiter-shine, or sunlight scattered off Jupiter.
The SRU image from the flyby is explored in an article published in the journal JGR Planets on Dec. 22, 2023. The image shows an oddly-shaped area of the icy surface, measuring 23 miles by 42 miles (37 kilometers by 67 kilometers) and resembling a platypus. In other words, it exhibits a "body" part in the north and a "bill" part in the south. Both areas — which are joined by a cracked neck-like formation — contain large ice blocks that are each about 0.62 miles (1 km) in size and cast shadows.
Comparisons with images of similar resolution from NASA's earlier Galileo spacecraft, which studied Jupiter from 1995 until 2003, suggest changes in the southern part of the "platypus" area. These hint that changes might have taken place on Europa's surface since the Galileo images were taken.
However, the team of authors, led by Heidi N. Becker of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), state that the evidence isn't conclusive due to differences in imaging quality and conditions.
The 2022 image also includes nearby low-albedo deposits which may be associated with subsurface liquid water, the researchers say. These dark stains may be associated with plumes thought to be spewing out water.
While not conclusive, however, the Platypus makes a compelling target for future missions such as NASA’s Europa Clipper and Europe's JUICE to investigate and possibly confirm present day surface activity on Europa.
JUICE launched in April of 2023 and will arrive at Jupiter in December 2031. Europa Clipper is set to launch on Oct. 6 this year on a Falcon Heavy rocket.
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[Waterloo: French lost, British won, Swedes became famous...............]
True, but what if Napoleon had a B-52 at the Battle of Waterloo?
It’s enough to make an ape jump around and thrown a bone into the sky!
Then he would have had a Top 40 battle......................
I cannot wait until they ignite Jupiter and make it our second sun. 😁
That opening scene has more musical content than hiphop/rap which is violent, racist hate speech.
Nice. Gonna be a shame about that original spacecraft, though.
I remember when that song came out. And I saw them either on The Midnight Special or DK’s Rock Concert.
Seems like multiple lifetimes ago.
[hiphop/rap which is violent, racist hate speech.]
Very true.
I think it’s contributed to the rapid decline of our culture.
Plus a whole lot of garbage on TV.
Agree 1,000%...but TV commercials tell us black culture is intelligent and kind compared to the stupid, violent whites.
MTV really took a dive around 1990 and never looked back.
Their big thing now - pushing RuPaul and drag queens
Then it devolved to Marxism
I was going to another college (had returned after some years)
Just had the TV on and MTV was the channel and then comes “Yo! MTV raps” and I was trying to figure out what I was seeing over the next 3-5 minutes)
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