Check Out the Clearest Pictures We Have of Jupiter!

A series of spectacular new images of Jupiter and Io, one of its four moons, clearer than ever before, were captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The mission will be extended for three years to explore the region where the giant planet’s rings and small moons orbit.

Juno was launched in 2011 and reached Jupiter in 2016. For the last nine years, it has transmitted thousands of raw images and this flyby – or perijove – was close enough to capture images of Jupiter’s cloud bands and turbulent storms in impressive detail.

The $1 billion spacecraft is equipped with JunoCam, a two-megapixel camera; a magnetometer; a gravity science system; and a microwave radiometer. Its 76th and last flyby will be on 25 September 2025. The extended mission is set to study Jupiter’s north polar cyclones, high-altitude atmosphere, dilute core, aurora, and the outer boundaries of its magnetosphere. Jupiter’s four moons – Europa, Callisto, Ganymede, and Io – were first discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610. In 2030, NASA’s Europa Clipper will study its namesake moon in a series of flybys. In 2031, the European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft will study not only Europa and Callisto, but also orbit Ganymede for 18 months.