How NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter Works (Infographic)

Juno Jupiter Probe Infographic — See how NASA's Juno spacecraft will explore Jupiter like never before in this SPACE.com infographic. (Image credit: SPACE.com/Karl Tate)

Juno is the first solar-powered space probe sent to investigate our solar system’s largest planet. A better knowledge of Jupiter will help astronomers understand the large planets now being discovered orbiting other stars.

Juno's mission is to enter a polar orbit of Jupiter and spend up to a year studying Jupiter’s deep structure, mapping the planet’s gravity and magnetic fields.

Instruments aboard the probe will measure water content in the atmosphere to find clues about how the planet formed. It will also sample auroras, electric fields, plasma waves and particles in Jupiter’s environment.

Photos: Jupiter, the Solar System's Largest Planet

Karl's association with Space.com goes back to 2000, when he was hired to produce interactive Flash graphics. From 2010 to 2016, Karl worked as an infographics specialist across all editorial properties of Purch (formerly known as TechMediaNetwork). Before joining Space.com, Karl spent 11 years at the New York headquarters of The Associated Press, creating news graphics for use around the world in newspapers and on the web. He has a degree in graphic design from Louisiana State University and now works as a freelance graphic designer in New York City.