The largest planet in our solar system with tangerine winds and storms and 79 moons, Jupiter holds many mysteries.
To explore the uncanny planet further, the European Space Agency is sending a space probe in April 2023 which will join NASA’s Juno orbiter, reported CNET.
It is called Juice, which is short for Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.
The probe will observe the giant gas planet in depth. It will study its “three large ocean-bearing moons, namely Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede.
The agency reportedly shared five particular mysteries it wanted to focus on when Juice finally reaches the planet in 2031.
Firstly, ESA wants to know what is happening on the three moons because they have water on them.
Secondly, scientists want to know if there has been any life on Jupiter’s moons, especially Europa. Experts are looking for evidence of extraterrestrial life. NASA’s spacecraft, Clipper, for example, is solely dedicated to scanning Europa.
Thirdly, ESA questions why one of the moons, Ganymede, has its own magnetic field. It is the only moon in our solar system to possess such a feature. Like earth, Ganymede’s magnetic field also gives rise to auroras.
Fourthly, Jupiter has 79 natural satellites orbiting it. ESA wonders how the gas giant’s environment allows these moons to exist and function the way they do.
And finally, the agency, like many of us, wants to know how such planets are born. Since the planet is primarily a huge ball of gases with so many moons, scientists want to know how these mini-universes come into existence.
If Juice is able to reach Jupiter by 2031, maybe the world will find some answers.
