The new data could inform NASA’s search for alien life below Europa’s icy outer layers.
NASA's Juno spacecraft performed a flyby of one of the most intriguing moons of the Solar System, Jupiter's Europa,The spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016, made the closest flyby of the moon yet at 5:36 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 30. Juno came within 219 miles of Europa's icy surface and collected data throughout a two-hour period as it flew past at speeds of 52,920 mph .
In a first, Juno's Microwave Radiometer instrument is studying the icy outer layer to determine more about its composition and temperature. All of Juno's instruments collected data during the flyby, including magnetic readers that can help to analyze how Europa's magnetic field interacts with Jupiter's.
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