After 5 long years of waiting, hoping and wondering, NASA infally got some good news today:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2016/jul/05/nasas-juno-spacecraft-arrives-at-jupiter-live
Excellent, Juno made it safely to orbit :)
Is this going to be the time that we discover Jupiter isn't actually a gas giant. I seems strange to me that the planet has such a strong magnetic field for something that is made of gas.
Thanks for posting this Dave :thumbsup:
Good to see Juno has arrived. Juno was the sister and wife of Jupiter and held the secrets of his power. Let's hope the probe can live up to that expectation.
The strongest magnetic field in the solar system is the sun and that is mainly hydrogen. It is reckoned that Jupiter has liquid metal hydrogen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetosphere_of_Jupiter) at it's core. It is also a very good source of He3.
Join in. You can vote for what JunoCam looks at.
https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/discussion
Thought I'd lob this one in too:
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/science/ecstasy-as-juno-reaches-jupiter-but-now-the-hard-work-starts/ar-AAi8mjW?li=AA9SkIr&ocid=spartanntp
This is so strange a metallic hydrogen, and there is some gas that just keeps getting denser and slowly it is a liquid as the temp gets colder. Guess I'm just to used to living on earth.
Carl2
Juno probe returns close-up Jupiter pictures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37259937
So strange, no dirt or dust, gases cold enough to be liquids and solids
Carl2
Oh, I'm sure that there is plenty of both Carl; perhaps enough to make up an entire planet's worth (though that's just a guess). But Jupiter is large enough that this is just a tiny fraction of the whole. And I seriously doubt that Jupiter is "cold", even by our standards. With strongly conflicting wind currents travelling hundreds of miles per hour, immense pressures, and enough gravity to flatten a semi (lorry, in the UK), there's a huge amount of heat being generated. In fact,Jupiter is warm enough to glow in infrared light. Of course so does the Human body, but nowhere near as brightly. ;)
You seem to know a lot about a lot, thanks for putting that in.
Carl2
Astronomy (both stellar and planetary) has been one of my passions for a very long time, Carl. Ever since I was a young boy, in fact. :)
Some up to date news
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/juno-jupiter-probe-wont-move-into-shorter-orbit-after-all/ar-AAn5Xpr?li=BBiaL6p&ocid=spartanntp
Good and bad news. Thanks for that.