We have all the scientific gizmos at our fingertips that allow us to peer into the deepest corners of space. The powerful telescopes we’ve built mean we can literally go back in time and even observe objects that formed in the earlier universe. But sometimes our observations on Earth don’t somehow capture space objects just because we’re on Earth.
Take the planet Jupiter for example. The gas giant is farther from the sun than Earth. Because Jupiter’s orbit exceeds that of Earth, we can only see the sunlit side of Jupiter. Jupiter’s crescent shape can never be seen from Earth.
But now, NASA’s Juno spacecraft is giving us a glimpse into how Jupiter’s crescent moons form. The Juno spacecraft reached Jupiter in 2016 after traveling through space for five years. The spacecraft circled around the gas giant and its moons.
The Juno mission team released an image of Jupiter’s crescent moon on February 14.
“If you could fly with NASA’s Juno spacecraft during its regular close flybys of Jupiter, you’ll enjoy stunning views similar to this one,” reads the blog post
The planet can be seen partially illuminated due to sunlight. This photo was clicked with JunoCam. The camera captured seven images during Juno’s 39th close flyby of Jupiter on January 12.
Complete News Source : WION
