JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

Ganymede in Infrared

Aug. 5, 2021
This infrared view of Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede was obtained by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft during its July 20th, 2021, flyby.

This infrared view of Ganymede was obtained by the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument aboard NASA's Juno spacecraft during its July 20th, 2021, flyby. JIRAM "sees" in infrared light not visible to the human eye, providing information on Ganymede's icy shell and the composition of the ocean of liquid water beneath. It was designed to capture the infrared light emerging from deep inside Jupiter, probing the weather layer down to 30 to 45 miles (50 to 70 kilometers) below Jupiter's cloud tops.

During the flyby, Juno came within 31,136 miles (50,109 kilometers) of the icy orb. Together with the previous observational geometries provided, this data gives the opportunity for JIRAM to see different regions for the first time, as well as to compare the diversity in composition between the low and high latitudes.

Because Ganymede has no atmosphere to impede the solar wind, or progress of charged particles from the Sun, the surface at its poles is constantly being bombarded by plasma from Jupiter's gigantic magnetosphere. The bombardment has a dramatic effect on Ganymede's ice: Ice is crystallized by heating at the equator and amorphized by particle radiation at the polar regions.

More information about Juno is at https://www.nasa.gov/juno and https://missionjuno.swri.edu.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Target
  • Ganymede
Spacecraft
  • Juno
Instrument
  • Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM)
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM

Keep Exploring

Juno Captures Moon Shadow on Jupiter

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Glimpses Jupiter's Moons Io and Europa

A Striking Crater on Jupiter's Moon Ganymede

A View of Crescent Jupiter from Juno

Ferrel-Like Cells at Jupiter

Earth's Ocean and Jupiter's Atmosphere (Animation)

Projecting Jupiter

Perseus and Jupiter's Main Dust Ring

Vortices on Jupiter and Earth

Giant Storms and High Clouds

Related Topic

News .

NASA to Provide Update on InSight Mars Lander

News .

Science at Sunrise: Solving the Mystery of Frost Hiding on Mars

News .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Scouts Ridgeline for Perseverance Science Team

News .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Spots Gear That Helped Perseverance Rover Land

News .

Greenland Ice, Jupiter Moon Share Similar Feature

News .

NASA Extends Exploration for 8 Planetary Science Missions

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures Video of Solar Eclipse on Mars

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Arrives at Delta for New Science Campaign

News .

NASA Shows Off Psyche Spacecraft to Media

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Reroutes Away From ‘Gator-Back’ Rocks

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono