1. What Juno about Jupiter?
Jupiter Facts, Mysteries, and the Juno Mission
Dr. Susan Stolovy
El Camino College

2. Ancient Jupiter and Juno

3. Modern Jupiter and Juno

4. Jupiter, 3 moons, 2 shadows

5. New video from Hubble Space Telescope Images of Jupiter

6. Some Jupiter Facts
Jupiter was the Roman King of the Gods (and also the sky and lightning). In our Solar System, Jupiter is truly “King of the Planets”. It has:
the greatest mass (318 x Earth’s, more than all other planets combined)
the greatest size (11x Earth’s radius)
the highest surface gravity (2.5 x Earth’s)
the strongest magnetic field (20,000x Earth’s field at the core, but about 14x Earth’s at it surface)
Has the fastest rotation! (9.9 hours)
the most moons (67!)

7. More Jupiter facts It takes 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun
It has rings!
It has auroras!
The center of mass of the solar system is between the Sun and Jupiter and lies just about at the radius of the Sun.
If Jupiter were about 80 times more massive, it would be a star!
The Great Red Spot has been there for at least 300 years!

8. Jupiter Mysteries
What causes the Great Red Spot and other oval features and why is the great red spot shrinking?
What causes the magnetic field and auroras?
How were Jupiter’s rings formed?
What is the chemical composition of the planet at different depths?
What material is the core made of (and does metallic hydrogen even exist)?

9. NASA’s Juno Mission
Goals: Understand origin and evolution of Jupiter, look for solid planetary core, map magnetic field, measure water and ammonia in deep atmosphere, study auroras.
Launch - August 5, 2011
Deep Space Maneuvers - August/September 2012
Earth flyby gravity assist - October 2013
Jupiter arrival - July 2016
Spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for 20 months (37 orbits)
End of mission (deorbit into Jupiter) - February 2018
It is solar-powered!

10. Voyager image (1979) of Great Red Spot (and White Oval)

11. Voyager Image

12. The Great Red Spot is Shrinking! (and it is changing colors)

13. Jupiter ring from Voyager (false color)

14. Backlit Ring image (from Galileo)

15. Jupiter’s gravity
Jupiter has likely shielded the inner solar system from passing asteroids/comets.
On the other hand, it may have also deflected some objects INTO the inner solar system
Comets that get close to Jupiter get tidally torn about. The world witnessed this when comet Shoemaker-Levy9 broke into about 20 pieces and each piece crashed into Jupiter.

16. If you are a comet, don’t get too close to Jupiter, or this will happen!

17. Jupiter after being hit by Comet Schoemaker-Levy 9

18. Jupiter’s weird interior: a guess

19. Jupiter’s Magnetosphere