NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been on a mission to study the planet Jupiter and its mysteries, including its icy moons. One of the most intriguing moons is Europa, which is thought to have a liquid water ocean beneath its icy crust. The Juno spacecraft has taken high-definition photos of Europa’s surface, and scientists have analyzed this data to identify fractures and other features on the icy shell.
The researchers expected to find ridges and troughs on the surface, but what they were surprised to see were large pits up to 30 miles wide. These large pits suggest that the icy crust is not locked into place, but is floating on top of the ocean and can move. This theory is called true polar wander. The surface features on Europa suggest that this process is more extensive than previously identified.
The Juno spacecraft has also taken black-and-white images of Europa’s surface using its Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) camera. The SRU was originally designed to help point the spacecraft in the right direction, but researchers have found that it can also be used for science. These black-and-white images are particularly useful for studying features in lowlight conditions.
NASA’s Juno Reveals Europa’s Mysteries
One of the most exciting discoveries made by the SRU is the presence of water plumes jetting up from the ocean beneath the icy crust. This suggests that there are potentially still ice volcanoes active on Europa, which is exciting for future missions planned to visit the moon.
The research on Europa’s surface is published in the Planetary Science Journal and JGR Planets. The research team used the data collected by the Juno spacecraft to identify fractures and other features on the icy shell, and they also analyzed the black-and-white images taken by the SRU to study the surface features in lowlight conditions.
The Juno spacecraft has provided a wealth of new information about Europa’s surface, including the presence of large pits and water plumes. This new information will be used to plan future missions to visit the moon and study its many mysteries.
