NASA's Juno mission develops first 3D radiation map of Jupiter system

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Close-up images from a NASA space probe capture swirling clouds in the planet's northern hemisphere. /CFP

NASA scientists working on the Juno mission have developed the first-ever complete 3D radiation map of Jupiter's system, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The map highlights the radiation intensity near the icy moon Europa's orbit and shows how smaller moons near Jupiter's rings influence the radiation environment.

This achievement stems from data collected by Juno's Advanced Stellar Compass (ASC), developed by the Technical University of Denmark, and its Stellar Reference Unit, built by Leonardo SpA in Italy. These tools allowed scientists to analyze the radiation at various energy levels throughout Jupiter's system.

Juno's ASC, which includes four star cameras mounted on the spacecraft's magnetometer boom, helps the spacecraft determine its orientation by capturing images of stars. The data revealed unexpectedly high levels of very high-energy radiation near Europa's orbit. Additionally, the findings confirmed that high-energy electrons are more concentrated on the side of Europa facing its direction of motion compared to the moon's trailing side.

(With input from Xinhua)