All articles tagged with #jupiter
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory released three new sonifications translating X-ray data from Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus into sound to celebrate a February planetary parade, using data from Hubble, Cassini, and Keck to create woodwind, siren, and cello-inspired audio that maps brightness and position in the images to pitch and volume.
On Feb 25, 2026, the waxing gibbous Moon travels through Taurus between Aldebaran and the Hyades, high in the southern sky after dark, with brilliant Jupiter (mag -2.4) visible nearby and the Pleiades nearby as well; a telescope or binoculars enhances the view of this night-sky lineup as you watch the Moon glow in the Bull’s horns.
New measurements from NASA's Juno mission refine Jupiter's dimensions, revealing the gas giant is 8 km narrower at the equator and 24 km flatter at the poles than previously estimated, thanks to improved radio occultation data and wind-aware modeling.
A weekend sky-guide recommends dark, rural skies to spot the zodiacal light in the western sky after sunset (Feb. 13–15), notes that Jupiter is at its best for evening viewing on Feb. 15, and highlights accompanying Moon/Earthshine observations and other winter sky features for enthusiasts.
New measurements using radio occultation and data from NASA's Juno spacecraft show Jupiter is slightly smaller and more oblate than previously thought, with an equatorial radius of 71,488 km and a polar radius of 66,842 km, refining models of its interior and atmospheric dynamics.
Juno's latest measurements refine Jupiter's equatorial diameter to 88,841 miles (142,976 km) and polar diameter to 83,067 miles (133,684 km), about 5 miles and 15 miles smaller than earlier estimates, confirming the planet's oblateness and aiding models of its interior and atmosphere.
NASA's Juno spacecraft has produced the clearest measurements yet of Jupiter's shape, finding its equator is about 5 miles (8 km) smaller and its poles roughly 15 miles (24 km) shorter than previously estimated. The update, drawing on 26 Juno flybys (versus six earlier data points), helps reconcile atmospheric and gravity data with interior models, and may lead textbooks to be updated about Jupiter’s size and structure.
NASA’s Juno mission refines Jupiter’s size and shape, finding a polar radius of about 66,842 km (roughly 12 km smaller) and an equatorial radius of about 71,488 km (roughly 4 km smaller) than older measurements. By tracking how Juno’s radio signals bend through the atmosphere and accounting for winds, scientists produced more accurate dimensions, improving models of Jupiter’s interior and gas giants overall; as co-author Yohai Kaspi notes, “Textbooks will need to be updated.”
Using a high-detail computational model that combines chemistry and hydrodynamics with data from NASA's Juno and Galileo missions, researchers estimate Jupiter contains about 1.5 times the Sun's oxygen, supporting icy-material formation theories; the model also finds gas diffusion is far slower than previously thought, highlighting how much remains unknown about the giant planet's interior.
On Feb. 3, Jupiter anchors the evening sky after sunset, shining at magnitude -2.6 and rising high in the east-southeast in the Gemini constellation about 30 degrees above the horizon, making it the brightest object in the night sky and an excellent target for naked eye, binoculars, or telescope; the article also notes other February sky events, such as the Moon’s occultation of Regulus on Feb. 2 and various nightly sky-watching highlights.
February 2026 offers one of the year’s best planetary lineups: Jupiter shines high in the eastern sky after sunset, Mercury appears for a three‑week window low in the west‑southwest starting Feb. 6, Venus becomes more visible toward month’s end, Mars remains hidden near the Sun, and Saturn sinks lower in the sky; the piece provides viewing tips and timing, including Mercury’s Feb. 18–19 Crescent Moon pairing and its greatest elongation around Feb. 19.
Using data from NASA's Juno and Galileo missions, researchers built a combined chemistry–hydrodynamics model of Jupiter's atmosphere. They find Jupiter may contain about 1.5 times the Sun's oxygen—far more than earlier estimates of roughly one-third—much of which is in water. The study also shows gas diffusion in Jupiter's atmosphere could be 35–40 times slower than previously thought, a result that informs theories about how the planet formed from icy material near the frost line.
February’s Snow Moon—the last winter full Moon—will rise in the east and climb high, offering one of the year’s best lunar views. It sits near bright stars and Jupiter, with a potential occultation by Regulus visible from North America; the guide also explains the Moon illusion, highlights its beginner-friendly nature for families, notes lunar rays near Tycho and Copernicus, and invites readers to send in photos.
Scientists built the most detailed model yet of Jupiter’s atmosphere by merging chemistry with hydrodynamics, estimating about 1.5 times more oxygen than the Sun, which helps resolve debates about Jupiter’s composition and its formation, and suggesting the planet’s atmospheric circulation is far slower than previously thought.
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured what scientists describe as the solar system's most energetic eruption observed on Io, with multiple volcanoes lighting up simultaneously from a vast subterranean magma network. The Dec. 27, 2024 event, spotted by JIRAM during a flyby about 74,400 km above Io, released an estimated 140–260 terawatts of power and covered about 40,400 square miles (65,000 sq km). Io harbors around 400 active volcanoes driven by Jupiter's tidal forces. The synchronized eruption suggests interconnected magma reservoirs beneath Io's lava-encrusted surface, and future Io flybys will map new lava flows and ash deposits.