- Juno, a NASA spacecraft launched in 2011, is on a mission to discover the mysteries of Jupiter and its moons.
- Juno was en way to Jupiter when it hit fast-moving dust particles, causing significant damage to its solar panels.
About NASA’s Juno Mission
| Description | |
| Launch Year | 2011 |
| Mission Objective | Study Jupiter, the solar system’s largest planet, to learn about Earth’s creation and evolution. |
| Focus Areas | Investigate Jupiter’s atmospheric composition and isotope ratios.Examine Jupiter’s magnetic field and how it interacts with the atmosphere, resulting in aurora generation.Discover Jupiter’s structure, atmosphere, and interior to better comprehend early solar system circumstances. |
| Earth Insights | The Juno mission’s advanced sensors include the Microwave Radiometer, which detects air temperature and water content.Scientists can determine the similarities and differences in planetary origins by comparing Jupiter’s composition to that of Earth.Understanding Jupiter’s magnetic field and auroras helps us learn about Earth’s magnetic field and auroras.Jupiter’s structure offers insights into early solar system conditions and Earth’s evolutionary processes. |
Dust in interplanetary space
- Calculating Dust Flux: Scientists used Juno data to estimate the flux of dust particles encountered between 1 and 5 Astronomical Units (AU), providing insight into the density and distribution of interplanetary dust.
- Exploring Dust Sources: Analysis revealed that Mars’ moons, Deimos and Phobos, could be sources of interplanetary dust, providing tantalising hints to the mysterious origins of these cosmic particles.
How do the Martian Moons, Deimos and Phobos make this dust?
- Micrometeorite Impacts: Micrometeorites, tiny but powerful dust particles, attack Mars’ moons, causing ephemeral clouds of dust upon impact due to the lack of atmospheres.
- Deimos and Phobos’ low gravity allow dust particles to escape into space, contributing to the development of a dusty ring around Mars.
Insights From Observations
- Gravitational Dynamics: These models included gravitational influences, lunar shapes, and dust particle velocities, providing a thorough knowledge of dust dynamics in the Martian system.
- Future trips to Deimos and Phobos have the potential to validate current findings and shed new light on the dusty expanses of these intriguing moons.
Source: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/serendipitous-juno-detections-shatter-ideas-about-origin-of-zodiacal-light