
Rare alignment of 5 planets peaks Friday as crescent moon joins the parade
A rare planetary alignment will peak predawn on Friday (June 24) when the crescent moon joins the party. An alignment like this will not occur again until 2040.
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.