NASA releases noises captured near Jupiter’s moon Ganymede

NASA released the noises captured by the Juno mission, near Jupiter’s moon Ganymede.

Key Points

• Juno beamed back data from its flyby across the biggest moon in the Solar System.
• Data comprising of sounds coming from lunar surface provides a dramatic ride-along into the territory of Ganymede.
• NASA released a 50-second audio track, which were picked by Juno’s wave instrument.
• The wave instrument tunes into electric and magnetic radio waves which are produced in the magnetosphere of Jupiter.
• Scientists shifted the captured frequencies into audio range for making audio track.

Closest Approach of Spacecraft

During the closest approach, Juno was within 1,038 kilometres of the Ganymede’s surface. It travelled at a relative velocity of 67,000 kilometres per hour.

Ganymede Moon

Ganymede is a satellite (moon) of Jupiter. It is the largest and most massive moon as well as ninth-largest object of the Solar System. Ganymede is the largest moon without a substantial atmosphere. Its diameter is of 5,268 km and thus 26% larger as compared to planet Mercury by volume. It is the only moon, that have a magnetic field.

Orbit around Jupiter

Ganymede orbits the Jupiter in around seven days. It is in a 1:2:4 orbital resonance respectively with the moons Europa and Io.

Juno Mission

Juno is a NASA space probe, covering planet Jupiter. It was built by Lockheed Martin. The spacecraft is operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was launched in August 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, as a part of New Frontiers program. Spacecraft entered the polar orbit of Jupiter in July 2016, to start a scientific investigation of the Jupiter. When the mission will complete, Juno will be intentionally deorbited into atmosphere of Jupiter. Juno is the second spacecraft to orbit Jupiter. First spacecraft was nuclear powered Galileo orbiter, which was operation from 1995 to 2003.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2021