LOOK: NASA Juno Flyby to Europa Shares First Images of Jupiter's Icy Moon

NASA is now sharing the first images which the Juno spacecraft took on its recent flyby on Jupiter's Europa, the famous icy moon and the smallest of the four Galilean moons of the gas giant. It is the clearest photo taken of the Europa moon ever, as the initial shots were taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which have decreased quality from before.

Thanks to the development in technology and cameras, this photo by NASA presents a good look at the icy moon compared to previous images.

NASA Juno Release Closeup Europa Images

NASA said that the recent flyby mission of Juno to Europa garnered a handful of images which is now available for the public to see, and it is the closest flyby made by the vessel to the moon. Europa is known to be the ice-encrusted moon of Jupiter, and it presents a phenomenon as most natural satellites appear as space rocks orbiting planets only.

Earlier last Thursday, Juno went as close as about 219 miles (352 kilometers) to Europa and managed to take many images of the icy moon, something which NASA shares with the public. It presents a good look at Europa many decades after the Galileo mission, which first brought the icy moon to be seen by many members of the space community and the public.

NASA Juno Flyby Mission to Europa

Europa is the sixth largest moon in the Solar System but is smaller compared to the Earth's lunar rock. Still, it remains one of the most peculiar for its icy surface, which researchers believe in having saltwater underneath it, with many theories pointing to its capabilities to support life and harbor living organisms before.

NASA Juno's Mission

NASA brought the Juno spacecraft to probe Jupiter and learn more about the gas giant in the modern day, and it helped bring more information about the largest planet in our Solar System to the public. One recent mission gave the world an idea of what Jupiter looks like in the present, and these new images present a different look for the massive gas planet.

The team behind Juno aims to discover more about the famous gas giant and tell the world new things to know about Jupiter, which is still a mystery for many. One mission centered on investigating the "Great Red Spot" present on Jupiter, particularly as it is known to be larger than the Earth.

Juno unveiled more mysteries behind the said spot and gave the world more to know about this astronomical phenomenon.

Now, NASA released new images of the Europa flyby which the Juno spacecraft did last Thursday, providing the world with a significant look at the icy moon, also a mysterious space element. And while it is only one of Jupiter's many moons, it still delivers massive information, which helps the community learn more about the Galilean moon.

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Written by Isaiah Richard