The first ever 3D radiation map of Jupiter and its moons has been created using low-light cameras aboard the Juno Spacecraft that have been tweaked to operate as radiation detectors.
The map reveals how Jupiter’s powerful magnetosphere influences the radiation environment around one of the gas giant’s moons, Europa, which is crucial for understanding the moon’s surface chemistry, potential habitability, and the challenges of future space missions to this icy world.
“This is the first detailed radiation map of the region at these higher energies, which is a major step in understanding how Jupiter’s radiation environment works,” said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, in a NASA statement. “This will help planning observations for the next generation of missions to the Jovian system.”
The team optimized Juno’s Advanced Stellar Compass (ASC) and Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) for this mission. The ASC, which includes four cameras, was not initially designed to measure radiation, but instead was made to capture images of stars that help determine the spacecraft’s orientation in space. It also serves as an attitude reference for magnetic field investigations by monitoring how many high-energy particles from Jupiter’s magnetosphere impact the spacecraft.
When these particles interact with the ASC instrument, they leave…
Source www.space.com
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