Jupiter

Our Solar System Is Weird Because Jupiter Is A Destructive Bully

Most planetary systems are made up of a few rocky super-planets orbiting extremely close to their stars, making our system — multiple, distant bodies — an oddball outlier. And according to new research, Jupiter could be to blame (thank?). Normally, planetary systems are typified by big giants close to the star — closer than Mercury…

There May Be More Water On Jupiter’s Largest Moon Than On Earth

By studying the subtle shifts of aurorae on Ganymede, scientists working with the Hubble Space Telescope have concluded that Jupiter’s largest moon hosts a massive subterranean ocean. Quite suddenly, the outer reaches of our solar system appear to be a very wet place, indeed. Ganymede, in addition to being the largest moon in the solar…

This Extraordinary Shot Of Jupiter Was Taken From The Earth’s Surface

Normally, images as detailed as this infrared shot of Jupiter can only be captured by space-based telescopes or planetary probes. But this picture, taken with a special camera on the Subaru Telescope, was captured from our planet’s surface. Ko Arimatsu of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency used the Infrared Camera and Spectrograph (IRCS) to capture…

We’re Going To Europa

NASA’s 2016 budget was approved by President Obama last week, and it contained some exciting goals: “A robust planetary science program includes data analysis of ongoing missions, and development of the next Mars rover. NASA will also continue formulating a mission to Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon that, data suggests, may have organic material on its…

Mars Will Test Our Capabilities, But Europa Is The Prize

Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is perhaps the most tantalizing destination in our solar system. Scientists have been trying for years to kickstart a mission to Jupiter’s most enigmatic moon, with very Earth-like concerns over costs keeping missions grounded until now. Above: The prize, Europa, a watery world. NASA The European Space Agency’s ambitious mission to…

Astronomers Capture A Rare Glimpse Of Eclipsing Jovian Moons

Earlier this month, astronomers surveying Jupiter’s moon Io received an early Christmas surprise when another Jovian moon, Europa, unexpectedly passed in front of it. This is what’s called a transit — when a celestial object passes in front of another object along our visual plane of sight. In this case, Europa passed in front of…

Europa Remastered: This 90s Space Image Has Been Retouched By NASA

It’s not just old rock albums that get remastered when technology moves on: this image of Jupiter’s ice-covered moon, Europa, has just been given a revamp by scientists from NASA. The mosaic image of the moon was first captured in the late 1990s, but now it’s been remastered using more modern image processing techniques. The…

NASA’s ‘Remastered’ View of Europa Is The Best Yet

Europa, Jupiter’s sixth-closest moon, has long been a source of fascination and wonder for astronomers. Not only is it unique amongst its Jovian peers for having a smooth, ice-covered surface, but it is believed that warm, ocean waters exist beneath that crust – which also makes it a strong candidate for extra-terrestrial life. https://gizmodo.com/this-image-is-why-everyones-so-excited-about-a-nasa-mis-1539388419 https://gizmodo.com/bill-nye-explains-why-the-search-for-life-could-end-on-1614208598…

Scientists say these mysterious shrimp may hold keys to alien life

According to exobiologists at NASA, these mysterious shrimp and its symbiotic bacterium may hold clues “about what life could be like on other planetary bodies.” It’s life that may be similar—at the basic level—to what could be lurking in the oceans of Europa, deep under the icy crust of the Jupiter moon. Max Coleman, senior…

There’s a hole in Jupiter! No, just kidding: that’s actually just the shadow of the Jovian moon, Ganymede, above the planet’s Great Red Spot. [NASA]

What Caused This Creepy Hubble Telescope Image of Jupiter’s Red Spot?

Hubble was monitoring changes in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, when it captured this uncanny image of a dark circle moving across the face of the storm. It’s the shadow of the Jovian moon, Ganymede, as it swept across the center of the spot. This gave the planet the uncanny appearance of having a pupil in…

On Jupiter, You Can See Neon Rain

There isn’t enough neon on the surface of Jupiter. This rather prosaic fact might point to one of the most spectacular sights in the solar system. Inside Jupiter, it might rain neon streaks. Jupiter is a disappointed sun. It is a massive cloud of gas that gets denser and denser towards the center, but never…

Weather Channel Reporter Won’t Stop Mispronouncing This Moon’s Name

Earlier this week, The Weather Channel’s Matt Sampson hosted an interesting little news segment about violent volcanic activity recently detected on Jupiter’s moon Io. But Sampson didn’t call the planet by its name, which is pronounced “eye-oh.” Instead, he – well, we don’t want to spoil it. [Warning: Video Autoplays] [UPDATE: It appears the video…

The Most Accurate Model Yet Of Jupiter’s Bizarre Magnetic Field

It may look like a giant ball oozing with earthworms, but it’s actually a simulation of Jupiter’s massive and complex magnetosphere — a magnetic field that extends more than four million miles from its surface. These models, which appear in the latest edition of Geophysical Research Letters, are surprisingly similar to Earth’s, though on a…

Scientists Use World’s Largest Laser To Recreate Jupiter’s Core

It is not pleasant inside the core of Jupiter—or any other planet for that matter. However, gaining a better understanding of what’s going on in there is key for understanding how these planets form. That’s why a team of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory recently used diamonds and lasers to recreate those very conditions.…

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot: Still The Biggest Storm In The Solar System

The diameter of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot has been shrinking about 500 miles a year since 2012. It bears mentioning, however, that, even in its diminished state, Jupiter’s ruddy storm system is truly gigantic. The image above comes from John Brady’s “The Size of Stuff,” a post at Astronomy Central that uses comparisons like this…

Gorgeous Amateur Timelapse of Jupiter Re-enacts Voyager Flyby

A group of seven Swedish amateur astronomers have achieved their goal of replicating the Voyager probe’s iconic 1979 flyby of Saturn by using images taken with their own ground-based telescopes. Back in the 1970′s when NASA launched the two Voyager spacecraft to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, I remember being mesmerized by a movie created…

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot is mysteriously shrinking in a dramatic way

Scientists have noticed something dramatic happening in the Solar System: Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot, the crimson monster storm that once was so large that it could eat three Earths, is mysteriously shrinking at high speed. Now it’s only the width of one Earth. Would it disappear in a few decades? According to the observations…

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot Is Shrinking

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot may need to come up with a new moniker—not only has the spot shrunk down to its smallest measure ever, its shape is changing. In the 1800s, the spot was measured at over 25,000 miles across. Today, that measure is at 10,250 and falling. Since 2012, Jupiter’s red spot has been…

NASA: Ganymede is a water and ice Club Sandwich that may harbor life

NASA scientists says that the largest moon in the solar system may harbor life in its inner oceans. Previously, scientists thought Ganymede only had one ocean between two ice layers, but data reveals that its structure is “ice and oceans stacked up in several layers like a club sandwich.” According to Steve Vance—the lead paper…