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NASA's Juno mission is exploring Jupiter from orbit, beaming back amazing photos, atmospheric data and other observations about the largest planet in our solar system. The Juno probe launched Aug. 5, 2011 and arrived in orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016. It is the farthest space probe ever to be powered by solar arrays. The $1.1 billion mission is expected to run through July 2021, but the science of Jupiter it returns will last a lifetime. Learn more about Juno's Jupiter discoveries here.

Related Topics: NASA, Jupiter

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An image of Venus' thick atmosphere captured by NASA's Mariner 10 mission.

Did a migrating Jupiter turn Venus into hell?

By Paul Sutter

The giant planet's long-ago migration likely had big impacts.

The Hubble Space Telescope captured this unique panchromatic image of Jupiter on Aug. 25, 2020. The photo combines Hubble observations in near-infrared, visible and ultraviolet light.

Pastel-colored Jupiter dazzles in gorgeous Hubble telescope photo

By Mike Wall

A photo by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the solar system's largest planet in surprising pastel hues.

jupiter cyclones north pole juno spacecraft

Mystery of Jupiter's persistent geometric storms may be solved

By Charles Q. Choi

The mystery of how giant cyclones stay together in geometric patterns around the poles of Jupiter may now be solved, but new questions have emerged as to how these clusters formed in the first place.

NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which will study the Jupiter ocean moon Europa in detail, is scheduled to launch in 2024.

Rocket limbo complicating NASA's Europa Clipper mission

By Mike Wall

NASA's highly anticipated mission to the Jupiter ocean moon Europa needs a rocket — and soon, the project's planners say.

The Jupiter moon Europa, seen here by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, harbors a huge ocean beneath its icy shell. Europa's fellow Galilean moons raise powerful tides in that subsurface sea, new research suggests.

Jupiter's ocean moons raise tides on each other

By Mike Wall

Jupiter's big ocean-harboring moons may have a strong gravitational effect on each other, raising big tides in each others' subsurface seas, a new study suggests.

This illustration uses data from NASA's Juno spacecraft to depict electrical storms on Jupiter.

Violent thunderstorms on Jupiter may form 'mushballs' that fall from the sky

By Elizabeth Howell

Thunderstorms on Jupiter are so strong that they create ammonia-rich hail known as "mushballs" that may fall from the sky.

An artist's depiction of Jupiter, at left, and its massive moon Ganymede in the foreground.

Jupiter's huge moon Ganymede may have the largest impact scar in the solar system

By Meghan Bartels

Scientists have discovered what they believe may be the largest impact crater in the entire solar system, with scars covering a vast portion of Jupiter's huge moon, Ganymede.

As November begins, Mercury will be in the western evening sky and swinging sunward towards inferior conjunction on November 11, when the speedy planet will transit the sun. The transit will be visible in whole or in part from westernmost Russia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, South America, North America (except for the extreme north), most of the Pacific Ocean, and New Zealand. After mid-month, Mercury will return to view with an excellent morning apparition for Northern Hemisphere observers, but a poor one for the Southern Hemisphere. The planet will reach peak visibility at greatest western elongation on November 28. Viewed in a telescope during mornings in November, Mercury's disk will diminish in apparent size and wax in illuminated phase from a thin crescent to a 68% full. Over the same period, the planet will brighten. The old crescent moon will pass north of Mercury on November 24-25.

The brightest planets in September's night sky: How to see them (and when)

By Joe Rao

Here's how to see planets visible in September's night sky.

These images the JIRAM instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft took on Dec. 26, 2019, provide the first infrared mapping of Ganymede's northern frontier. Frozen water molecules detected at both poles have no appreciable order to their arrangement and a different infrared signature than ice at the equator.

NASA Jupiter probe images huge moon Ganymede like never before (photos)

By Mike Wall

NASA's Juno Jupiter probe has captured unprecedented views of the largest moon in the solar system.

A close-up view of Jupiter, taken one week after the planet reached opposition in June 2019, reveals detailed cloud bands — and Jupiter's moon Europa!

See Jupiter and Saturn at their brightest this week

By Joe Rao

This week, Jupiter and Saturn appear at their very best, with Jupiter having just arrived at opposition July 14 and Saturn to reach its own opposition July 20.

Jupiter reaches opposition on July 14, 2020.

See Jupiter at its brightest for 2020 tonight!

By Elizabeth Howell

Jupiter will be at its biggest and brightest in the sky tonight (July 14) as the planet reaches opposition, the point in its orbit where it's almost directly opposite the sun in our sky.

'Clyde's Spot,' a new storm on Jupiter, is visible in this image in the center as a white maelstrom, just below and to right of the Great Red Spot. Citizen scientist Kevin Gill created this image using data gathered by the JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno Jupiter orbiter on June 2, 2020.

'Clyde's Spot,' a new storm on Jupiter, discovered by amateur astronomer (photos)

By Mike Wall

NASA's Jupiter-orbiting Juno probe has captured gorgeous imagery of a storm that recently cropped up on the giant planet.

The full moon, Jupiter and Saturn as seen on the evening of July 5, 2020 from Seattle.

Celestial fireworks: See Jupiter and Saturn with a 'Buck Moon' lunar eclipse this Fourth of July weekend

By Joe Rao

Nature has its own fireworks in store this Independence Day weekend with a stunning full moon ornamented by two shining planets.

Jupiter's moon, Europa.

Heat gave Jupiter's icy moon Europa layers. That may be good news for the search for life.

By Doris Elin Urrutia

There are many items on the habitability checklist, and Europa may have experienced an important life-supporting phenomenon.

Jupiter, Saturn and the crescent moon will form a triangle in the night sky overnight on June 8-9, 2020. The trio will rise in the southeast shortly before midnight and fade from view when dawn breaks.

Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with the moon tonight. Here's how to see it.

By Elizabeth Howell

Look up late tonight (June 8) and early tomorrow morning to see Jupiter and Saturn form a triangle with Earth's moon.

An image of then-asteroid 2019 LD2 taken from a Las Cumbres Observatory telescope at Cerro Tololo in Chile on June 11, 2019.

A first-of-its-kind asteroid thrilled astronomers. But it was just a comet fraud.

By Meghan Bartels

For a week, it was a truly stunning crumb of the solar system — until scientists realized it was just a dirty hunk of ice with an identity crisis.

This sky map shows Jupiter and Saturn on the morning of their close approach on May 18, 2020, as seen from New York City at 2:30 a.m. local time.

See Jupiter and Saturn snuggle up in the predawn sky this week

By Elizabeth Howell

The two giant planets of the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will snuggle up in the predawn sky this week, offering spectacular views for night owls and early risers.

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this stunning view of Jupiter on Feb. 17, 2020.

Get lost in Jupiter's haze thanks to new pictures from NASA spacecraft

By Meghan Bartels

For your weekend enjoyment, we present another installment of Jupiter's beautifully swirly atmosphere.

An artist's illustration of water plumes erupting from the icy ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa.

Scientists peer back in time to find new evidence for watery plumes on Europa

By Chelsea Gohd

Scientists looked back in time to offer new evidence suggesting that plumes of water vapor shoot out from Jupiter's moon Europa into space.

A full-disk view of Jupiter in infrared light, as seen by the Gemini Observatory on May 29, 2019.

Scientists get their best-ever look at Jupiter's atmosphere and storms

By Meghan Bartels

It's always dark and stormy on Jupiter — and now, scientists have gotten their most detailed view of the wild storms that swirl through the gas giant's atmosphere.