NASA

The southern aurora of Jupiter seen at infrareds (Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM)

NASA published the first results of the Jupiter flyby the Juno space probe performed on August 27, 2016. In about six hours, Juno reached a distance of 4.200 kilometers (2,500 miles) from the planet and above all passed above both north and south poles. The result is a series of images of the aurora at infrareds with many detail never seen before.

Jupiter compared to the hot-Jupiter HD 189733b (Image NASA/JPL-Caltech)

According to an astronomer estimate the Milky Way alone could host one billion gas giant planets like Jupiter. Twenty years of exoplanet discoveries and studies taught us that there are different types of Jovians and their study is important to understand the evolution of a solar system, including our own, given the influence of a planet of that mass. On the other hand, the study of Jupiter also helps our general understand of that class of exoplanets.

Jupiter seen by the Juno space probe from a distance of 703,000 kilometers on August 27, 2016 (Photo NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)

Yesterday NASA’s Juno space probe completed its first Jupiter flyby. At approximately 13:44 UTC it flew just 4,200 kilometers (2,600 miles) above the Jovian clouds, the minimum distance scheduled throughout its primary mission. At that point, Juno was traveling at about 208,000 km/h (130,000 mph) compared to the planet. This is the first of 36 flybys planned in the two and a half years of its primary mission.