NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Completes Eleventh Jupiter Flyby, Delivers New Photos

NASA’s Juno orbiter successfully made its eleventh flyby of Jupiter on February 7, 2018.

This color-enhanced image shows swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter’s north temperate belt. The image was taken on February 7 at 8:42 a.m. EST (5:42 a.m. PST), as Juno performed its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 5,086 miles (8,186 km) from the tops of the clouds of the planet at a latitude of 39.9 degrees. Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill.

This color-enhanced image shows swirling cloud formations in the northern area of Jupiter’s north temperate belt. The image was taken on February 7 at 8:42 a.m. EST (5:42 a.m. PST), as Juno performed its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter. At the time the image was taken, the spacecraft was about 5,086 miles (8,186 km) from the tops of the clouds of the planet at a latitude of 39.9 degrees. Citizen scientist Kevin M. Gill processed this image using data from the JunoCam imager. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill.

Juno launched on August 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived in orbit around the giant planet Jupiter on July 4, 2016.

The robotic spacecraft is in a polar orbit around the gas giant, and the majority of each orbit is spent well away from the planet.

JunoCam took this image during its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter on February 7. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

JunoCam took this image during its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter on February 7. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

But, once every 53 days, its trajectory approaches Jupiter from above its north pole, where it begins a 2-hr transit — from pole to pole — flying north to south.

During these flybys, Juno is probing beneath the obscuring cloud cover of the planet and studying its auroras to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

This JunoCam image shows Jupiter’s north north temperate belt. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

This JunoCam image shows Jupiter’s north north temperate belt. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

On February 7, 2018, the probe successfully made its eleventh close flyby of Jupiter.

At the time of perijove (the point in Juno’s orbit when it is closest to the planet’s center), the spacecraft will be about 2,100 miles (3,500 km) above Jupiter’s cloud tops.

The closest approach was at 9:36 a.m. EST (6:36 a.m. PST) Earth-received time.

This JunoCam image shows most of Jupiter’s south pole and southern areas, where a huge amount of storms is visible across the atmosphere. The image has been processed to show Jupiter close to natural color. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Astrobitacora / Alex Riveiro.

This JunoCam image shows most of Jupiter’s south pole and southern areas, where a huge amount of storms is visible across the atmosphere. The image has been processed to show Jupiter close to natural color. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Astrobitacora / Alex Riveiro.

According to NASA, the flyby was also a gravity science orientation pass.

During orbits that highlight gravity experiments, Juno is in an Earth-pointed orientation that allows both the X-band and Ka-Band transmitter to downlink data in real-time to one of the antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network in Goldstone, California.

JunoCam took this image during its eleventh flyby of Jupiter. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

JunoCam took this image during its eleventh flyby of Jupiter. Image credit: NASA / JPL / SwRI / MSSS / Gerald Eichstaedt.

All of Juno’s science instruments and its JunoCam were in operation during the flyby, collecting data that are now being returned to Earth.

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