The Juno spacecraft of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was flying in proximity to the North Pole of Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, and its moon, Ganymede. New imagery has been released showcasing a space phenomenon never seen before, CNET reported.
For the first time, astronomers, onlookers, and space enthusiasts were able to see the North Pole of Ganymede with Juno's Jovian Infrared Aurora Mapper (JIRAM), an instrument that offers historic infrared mapping into the largest planet's moon's frontier at its north pole.
Now Ganymede is the only moon within the solar system that's bigger than Mercury, and through consistent studies, it consists primarily of water ice. The composition paves the way for astronomers to understand and impact how Jupiter's many moons came into existence in what it is today.
Ganymede's magnetic field
This moon is also phenomenal since it is the only moon around the solar system that features its very own magnetic field. Compared to Earth, this field offers an avenue for the plasma to get through the atmosphere and produce aurora.
CNET's correspondent Jackson Ryan wrote, "The images show an unusual form of ice exists at the pole, a type that we don't encounter on Earth because the magnetic field filters particles from the sun -- plasma -- toward it. Without a decent atmosphere, it's basically raining plasma down on Ganymede's ice."
The moon has no atmosphere that impedes its progress since the surface around its poles is stormed by plasma from the planet's spacious atmosphere. This might have given the effect on the ice caps as seen in the images.
Alessandro Mura, a co-investigator at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, said, "The JIRAM data show the ice at and surrounding the precipitation of plasma has modified ganymede's north pole. It is a phenomenon that we have been able to learn about for the first time with Juno because we are able to see the north pole in its entirety."
The ice nearby the moon's poles is considered "amorphous."
Media invites
Meanwhile, in the latest NASA news, the space administration and SpaceX are opening media accreditation to witness the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station, touted as the first operational flight of Dragon spacecraft on Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch is happening in late September, following the return of NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley.
The commander of Crew Dragon, Michael Hopkins, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Shannon Walker, all from NASA, collaborated with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency mission specialist Soichi Noguchi to launch the Crew-1 mission from Florida's Kennedy Space Center, operated by NASA.
For members of the media who are not U.S. citizens, they must do so before 4:00 p.m. EDT on Aug. 10. The U.S. Media can apply until Aug. 24, 4: 00 p.m. They can submit their applications here.
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