Images from NASA’s Juno probe offer a new view of Jupiter’s moon Europa: here are the findings
The images captured by it are fascinating to say the least NASA’s Juno probe. In the viewfinder is the now well-known moon of Jupiter, Europe, immortalized in high resolution. A close passage that now offers material for scientists, who could be close to a new discovery.
Europa, moon of Jupiter
The flyby of NASA’s Juno probe certainly didn’t happen this week, on the contrary. His high-resolution photos taken of Europa, Jupiter’s moon which has become extremely popular, date back to September 2022.
While the world was still heatedly discussing the Covid emergency, steps were being taken in the vast space towards a new discovery. Some very important images have been captured, since they suggest the possibility of presence of pockets of salt water. These would go to connect directly to the underground ocean. At the same time, the photos also suggest “scars” on the surface presumably generated by powerful plumes of water vapor.
The tool is fundamental in this process JunoCam, capable of capturing four high-resolution images of Europa. A result obtained while the probe was at 355 km altitude. This is what is meant by flyby. Also exploited it Stellar Reference Unit (SRU), generally used for imaging faint stars. It was decided to adapt its low light capabilities to be able to take an image of the night side of Europe. The only source of light was light reflected from Jupiter’s clouds (Jupiter-shine).
What is Platypus
This operation led to the identification of an unusual characteristic. The credit in this case goes to the SRU, which highlighted what is today defined Platypus. This refers to a collection of ice blocks, mounds, brown spots and ridges. A real one chaotic earthyalready observed in the past on Europa, during the Voyager missions.
Scientists are paying particular attention to studying these portions of Jupiter’s moon. It is hypothesized that they may be points where the brackish liquid emerges to the surface. This would cause the partial melting of the frozen crust.
Not a tiny area, considering how it extends 37 km wide, with a length of 67 km. It is also believed as the Platypus is one of the youngest structures on the moon. The reason? Europa’s frozen surface has been shown to level off in a very short time, geologically speaking. Being able to admire this portion of the surface in such conditions, therefore, means that its formation is not that ancient.
Such features suggest current surface activity, as well as the presence of liquid underground water on Europa. This is the thought of Heidi Becker, SRU co-principal investigator, at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. From her perspective, Platypus will prove to be a prime target for the agency’s Europa Clipper mission, as well as ESA’s Juice mission.
However, the findings do not end here, on the contrary. In fact, about 50 km north of Platypus, double crests flanked by dark spots were identified. It is believed that these may be points of origin of plumes of water vapor. A natural spectacle capable of reaching heights of 200 km.
As if that wasn’t enough, Juno also offered evidence that both surface features and the surface itself are shifting. A phenomenon known to scientists as “true polar wander”. This implies the shifting of the geographic poles due to the icy crust floating on the underground ocean.
