Juno has just passed a major milestone in its first wide orbit around the giant planet, having passed by its apojove, the furtherest distance to Jupiter (8.1 million km). It will now fall back down the gravity well towards its next close encounter with the planet on August 27th. That completes the first of two wide 53.5-day orbits (the capture orbits), before the real science phase of the mission can begin. The August 27th perijove will be the first time that all the instruments will be collecting data.
While you’re waiting for these first results, listen to Leigh Fletcher describing some of the science behind the NASA Juno mission and the involvement of the University of Leicester on the July edition of Pythagoras’ Trousers, assembled by Chris North (University ofCardiff) for Radio Cardiff.
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