Mission Juno: NASA’s JunoCam Sends First Images of Jupiter

NASA’s JunoCam shares first images of Jupiter with the world.

This color view from NASA’s Juno spacecraft is made from some of the first images taken by JunoCam after the spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter on July 5th. (Photo : NASA) 

JunoCam – the camera aboard NASA’s Juno mission – has sent the first image of Jupiter, as well as the images of three of its four largest moons.The spacecraft entered orbit around the king of planets on 4 July.

The first high-resolution images of the gas giant Jupiter are still a few weeks away. The new view was obtained when the spacecraft was 4.3 million kilometres from Jupiter on the outbound leg of its initial 53.5-day capture orbit.

The colour image shows atmospheric features on Jupiter, including the famous Great Red Spot, and three of the massive planet’s four largest moons – Io, Europa and Ganymede, from left to right in the image.

“The first high-resolution images of the planet will be taken on August 27 when Juno makes its next close pass to Jupiter,” said Candy Hansen, co-investigator from the Planetary Science Institute in the US.

During its mission of exploration, Juno will circle the Jovian planets 37 times, soaring low over the planet’s cloud tops – as close as about 4,100 kilometres.