In a monumental achievement, NASA's Juno mission has crafted the first-ever complete 3D radiation map of Jupiter's system. This groundbreaking map sheds light on the radiation intensity surrounding the icy moon Europa and demonstrates the influence of smaller moons near Jupiter's rings on the overall radiation environment.
Driven by data from Juno's Advanced Stellar Compass (ASC), developed by the Technical University of Denmark, and the Stellar Reference Unit, built by Leonardo SpA in Italy, scientists have been able to analyze radiation at various energy levels across Jupiter's realm. Juno's ASC, featuring four star cameras mounted on the spacecraft's magnetometer boom, plays a crucial role in determining Juno's orientation by capturing stellar images.
The latest data reveals unexpectedly high levels of very high-energy radiation near Europa's orbit. Furthermore, it confirms that high-energy electrons are more densely packed on the side of Europa facing its direction of motion compared to its trailing side, offering new insights into the moon's radiation environment.
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NASA's Juno mission develops first 3D radiation map of Jupiter system
cgtn.com
