NASA captures a solar eclipse on Jupiter made of its volcanic moon



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Io, one of Jupiter's many moons, is unquestionably one of the stars of the solar system.

It is a world of raw volcanism, without atmospheric inhibitions or erosion, fed by the complex dance between himself, Jupiter and two other close moons, Europa and Ganymede. This is the first time that an extraterrestrial volcanism was discovered long ago, in 1979, as plumes of volcanic flames were projected into space. Today is a journey back in time volcanological laboratory, acting as a window to the eruptive past of the Earth while giving us a glimpse of moons and similar worlds, far from our own cosmic pond.

I write every time I can on this glorious pizza-type satellite, although most of the time, I dwell on its frightening geology or its tidal-powered volcanic shenanigans. A new plan of Io's shadow, looming in Van Goghian's vortex of Jupiter, shows or reveals nothing of any of these subjects. But it's so breathtaking, reminiscent of the best sci-fi cinematography, that I simply could not write about it.

This remarkable image was captured by NASA Juno spatialship September 12th while he was performing his 22North Dakota close flyby of the gas giant. He approached nearly 8,000 kilometers from the roof of Jupiter's clouds, traveling at a speed of about 74,000 kilometers at the hour (46,000 miles per hour) as he did. He was treated by Kevin M. Gillreaction propulsion laboratory of NASA, whose job is to refine astronomical plans of all kinds must be seen and not bellowed by mercenary word like me.

Naturally, this particular blow has caused several scientific and scientific planetary writers to oscillate with unbridled joy. As many have highlightedwhat you see here is not just the shadow of Io. It's a solar eclipse on another planet seen from space.

It's, well, something you do not see every day.

No matter where you are in the solar system, solar eclipses are not a particularly common phenomenon.

The fact that the Earth, for example, can experience eclipses of the sun is neither more nor less cosmological serendipity. The moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun. Although the moon was once again close to the Earthhe has been farther and farther since. And, right now, at astronomical time, the Moon is about 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun. Therefore, when the orbiting orbiting path of the Moon passes just in front of the Sun, it is able to block it completely.

One day, long into the future – at least on human time scales – total solar eclipses will no longer occur: the Moon will be too far away to effectively cover the Sun's fires. Humans, if they are still far into the future, will not be humiliated, frightened or amazed by the eclipses of the sun as they have been in the last millennia.

Thanks to its own orbital dimensions, Io is also able to block the sun. In fact, as noted by the astrophysicist Katie Mack, the distance between the sun and Jupiter and the proximity of Io to Jupiter means that the volcanic moon appears four times larger than the sun, which allows it to block the sunlight quite easily.

If we had been able to stand here on Jupiter (which I strongly advise against doing if you like to live) on September 12ththwe would then see a solar eclipse of the most colossal planet in the solar system, similar to what we see from Earth.

Solar eclipses on Jupiter do not rely solely on Io. A 2009 coup shows a rarity triple solar eclipse taking place on Jupiter, Io, Ganymede and Callisto all succeeding in blocking the Sun from different angles, all properly aligned.

I do not know about you, but eclipses of the sun make me feel small. Not in a psychologically insignificant way, but microscopically in the sense of the simple physical scale. There are so many monumental galactic wonders Everything around usflickering, drifting, swirling, brightening and obscuring, creating a cornucopia of inexorable and natural upheavals. All are as unaware of our human machinations that we are stunned by their beauty.

A solar eclipse on another planet, created by a perfectly positioned volcanic moon, inadvertently reminds us of the infinitely tiny role we have to play in the universe. It also reminds us how much we have an incomprehensible chance not only to be able to witness these astonishing astronomical acts, but also to watch them closely and even to understand them, thanks to the wonders of scientific and technological ingenuity. technical.

This image is beautiful in itself. It is also, in my opinion, a demonstration of all that makes the charm of the history of humanity in the solar system.

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Io, one of Jupiter's many moons, is unquestionably one of the stars of the solar system.

It is a world of raw volcanism, without atmospheric inhibitions or erosion, fed by the complex dance between himself, Jupiter and two other close moons, Europa and Ganymede. This is the first time that an extraterrestrial volcanism was discovered long ago, in 1979, as plumes of volcanic flames were projected into space. Today, it is an itinerant volcanological laboratory that opens the way to the eruptive past of the Earth while offering us a glimpse of moons and similar worlds, far from our own cosmic pond.

I write every time I can on this glorious pizza-type satellite, although most of the time, I dwell on its frightening geology or its tidal-powered volcanic shenanigans. A new plan of Io's shadow, looming in Van Goghian's vortex of Jupiter, shows or reveals nothing of any of these subjects. But it's so breathtaking, reminiscent of the best sci-fi cinematography, that I simply could not write about it.

This remarkable image was captured by NASA Juno spacecraft on September 12thth while he was performing his 22North Dakota close flyover of the gas giant. He approached nearly 8,000 kilometers from the roof of Jupiter's clouds, traveling at a speed of about 74,000 kilometers at the hour (46,000 miles per hour) as he did. He was treated by Kevin M. Gill, the reaction propulsion laboratory of NASA, whose work on the personalization of astronomical plans of all kinds must really be seen and should not be flouted by mercenaries like me.

Naturally, this particular blow has caused several scientific and scientific planetary writers to oscillate with unbridled joy. As many have highlightedwhat you see here is not just the shadow of Io. It's a solar eclipse on another planet seen from space.

It's, well, something you do not see every day.

No matter where you are in the solar system, solar eclipses are not a particularly common phenomenon.

The fact that Earth, for example, can experience eclipses of the sun has nothing to do with cosmological serendipity. The moon is about 400 times smaller than the sun. Although the Moon was once very close to the Earth, it has been moving farther and farther since. And, right now, at astronomical time, the Moon is about 400 times closer to Earth than the Sun. Therefore, when the orbiting orbiting path of the Moon passes just in front of the Sun, it is able to block it completely.

One day, long into the future – at least on human time scales – total solar eclipses will no longer occur: the Moon will be too far away to effectively cover the Sun's fires. Humans, if they are still far into the future, will not be humiliated, frightened or amazed by the eclipses of the sun as they have been in the last millennia.

Thanks to its own orbital dimensions, Io is also able to block the sun. In fact, as noted by the astrophysicist Katie Mack, the distance between the sun and Jupiter and the proximity of Io to Jupiter means that the volcanic moon appears four times larger than the sun, which allows it to block the sunlight quite easily.

If we had been able to stand here on Jupiter (which I strongly advise against doing if you like to live) on September 12ththwe would then see a solar eclipse of the most colossal planet in the solar system, similar to what we see from Earth.

Solar eclipses on Jupiter do not rely solely on Io. A 2009 photo shows an extremely rare triple solar eclipse taking place in Jupiter. Io, Ganymede and Callisto all manage to block the Sun from different angles, all aligned in the right direction.

I do not know about you, but eclipses of the sun make me feel small. Not in a psychologically insignificant way, but microscopically in the sense of the simple physical scale. There are so many monumental and majestic galactic wonders all around us, glittering, drifting, swirling, illuminating and obscuring, creating a cornucopia of inexorable and natural discoveries. All are as unaware of our human machinations that we are stunned by their beauty.

A solar eclipse on another planet, created by a perfectly positioned volcanic moon, inadvertently reminds us of the infinitely tiny role we have to play in the universe. It also reminds us how much we have an incomprehensible chance not only to be able to witness these astonishing astronomical acts, but also to observe them closely and even to understand them, thanks to the wonders of scientific and technological ingenuity. technical.

This image is beautiful in itself. It is also, in my opinion, a demonstration of all that makes the charm of the history of humanity in the solar system.

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