Jupiter’s Aurora
Besides being Independence Day in the US (and the bbq orgy and fireworks continue), NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter has arrived and will conduct a burn to  put itself into orbit around the mighty planet.

(NASA) As of noon (Pacific time) today, July 2, NASA’s Juno mission was 1.79 million miles (2.88 million kilometers) from Jupiter — and closing. The solar-powered spacecraft will cross the orbit of the outermost Galilean moon, Callisto, on July 3 at about 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT). The orbits of Ganymede, Europa and Io (the other Galilean moons), will be crossed on July 4 at about 4 a.m. PDT (7 a.m. EDT), 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT) and 2:15 p.m. PDT (5:15 p.m. EDT) respectively. These four largest moons of Jupiter are named the Galilean moons because they were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1609.

On July 4, at 8:18 p.m. PDT, Juno will fire its main engine, beginning a 35-minute burn that will place it into orbit around Jupiter.
During its mission of exploration, Juno will circle the Jovian world 37 times, soaring low over the planet’s cloud tops — as close as about 2,600 miles (4,100 kilometers). During these flybys, Juno will probe beneath the obscuring cloud cover of Jupiter and study its auroras to learn more about the planet’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.  http://www.nasa.gov/juno
“The atmospheric pressure at Earth is about one bar; at the centre of Jupiter it is 80 million bar,” explained mission team-member Fran Bagenal from the University of Colorado. “That’s like a thousand elephants, one on top of the other, with the bottom elephant standing on a stiletto.”
This should be a fun mission to follow.

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16 COMMENTS

  2. I keep warning people that science should leave things that are "settled" alone (such as global warming/cooling), but everyone ignores me.

  3. As I understand it, "One Bar" counts as partial pressure on Hillary, and that's not bad. One Bar is better than no bar at all, but let's see Twelve Bars, behind which the Harridan is confined to the atmosphere of a jail.

  4. I am really excited that Juno makes it to Jupiter today. Cassini was such a great success. I'm looking forward to amazing things from Juno.

  5. I just hope it doesn't get shot down. Bush gets blamed for enough shit. He doesn't need this, too.

  7. It certainly will be an interesting mission to follow. Happy fourth of July. May you not encounter elephants on stiletto's.

  8. I put all thoughts of the witch aside and got on the She-Devil and rode up and down the coast, watching the surf and pretty girls. It's Independence Day, and the Bitch of Benghazi should just be one more execution for treason.

  10. The aliens will do it if we get too close to unlocking all of their secrets. Naturally, GW Bush will be blamed.

  12. I spent the morning on the She-Devil, enjoying the weather and the light and space that the ocean offers. Not hardly any traffic on PCH.

  16. No doubt the fish were frightened off by the fireworks. However don't despair, a hand grenade still works.

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