NASA's Juno probe successfully went into orbit around Jupiter July 4, 2016 and we'll get to see incredible close-up images of the planet just like with Pluto's flyby last year. Jupiter is the biggest planet in the solar system, and its size gives it some pretty amazing properties Jupiter is twice as massive as all the other planets combined. Jupiter's magnetosphere is the biggest object in the solar system. Its magnetic field is 20 times stronger than Earth's. The planet has a swirling storm twice the width of Earth that's raged for at least the last 150 years called the Great Red Spot. The temperature near the planet's core may be about 43,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than the surface of the sun. If it was 80 times more massive, Jupiter would have become a star instead of a planet. Jupiter has the most moons of any planet in the solar system at 67 confirmed. Galileo found the first four in 1610. The monster planet spins around so fast with so much gravity that it acts like a slingshot to any space debris that come near it. Juno will get closer than any spacecraft before it — here's hoping it makes it out alive. On July 4, 2016 these three shiny little explorers are doing something no human has ever done: They're reaching Jupiter.
The three figurines were constructed by LEGO specially for Juno, which launched in August 2011. The solar-powered craft's mission is to investigate Jupiter from closer than ever before. (This was accomplished on July 4th, 2016 and the pictures ARE amazing!) Juno will fly above Jupiter's clouds and probe beneath them. NASA hopes learn more about the solar system's largest planet than ever before, including the nature of its atmosphere and magnetic field. (Scientists are still pouring over the data...) (I just gotta say; I love LEGO for wanting to be a part of this experiment!)
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |