{"id":770852,"date":"2023-10-30T17:22:47","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T21:22:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=770852"},"modified":"2023-10-30T17:22:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T21:22:47","slug":"salts-and-organics-observed-on-ganymedes-surface-by-nasas-juno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=770852","title":{"rendered":"Salts and Organics Observed on Ganymede\u2019s Surface by NASA\u2019s Juno"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-image-carousel grid-container grid-container-block padding-top-8 padding-bottom-8 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-image-carousel\">\n<div class=\"hds-carousel-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"image-carousel-slider margin-0\" id=\"image-carousel-slider\">\n<div class=\"display-block width-full\">\n<figure class=\"margin-0\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper hds-image-carousel-slide margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" loading=\"eager\" style=\"object-position: 63% 49%;object-fit: cover\" \/><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This enhanced image of the Jovian moon Ganymede was obtained by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft during the mission\u2019s June 7, 2021, flyby of the icy moon. Data from that pass has been used to detect the presence of salts and organics on Ganymede. <\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS\/Kalleheikki Kannisto (CC BY)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-block width-full\">\n<figure class=\"margin-0\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper hds-image-carousel-slide margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"This look at the complex surface of Jupiter&#x2019;s moon Ganymede came from NASA&#x2019;s Juno mission during a close pass in June 2021.\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"object-position: 72% 45%;object-fit: cover\" \/><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This look at the complex surface of Jupiter\u2019s moon Ganymede came from NASA\u2019s Juno mission during a close pass in June 2021. At closest approach, the spacecraft came within just 650 miles (1,046 kilometers) of Ganymede\u2019s surface.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">Image data: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/MSSS<br \/>Image processing by Thomas Thomopoulos (CC BY)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-carousel-nav display-flex margin-left-auto margin-right-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"hds-carousel-nav-arrow hds-carousel-arrow-prev\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/button><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"hds-carousel-nav-arrow hds-carousel-arrow-next margin-right-0\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Data collected by NASA\u2019s Juno mission indicates a briny past may be bubbling to the surface on Jupiter\u2019s largest moon.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Juno mission has observed mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of Jupiter\u2019s moon Ganymede. Data for this discovery was collected by the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer aboard the spacecraft during a close flyby of the icy moon. The findings, which could help scientists better understand the origin of Ganymede and the composition of its deep ocean, were published on Oct. 30 in the journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41550-023-02107-5.epdf?sharing_token=_L4lYGL3OUjY_7me7vvu0tRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0OZjcl3SIKPp0fHDrV0bzSJgkDjP3hzW87CKZ-qqS0gcNIM63XNEgLGRqFJj-WmQ_p7RsvjGt6-ZqJBEeE404BDUoEn-KUUME45umCN_6uGSQ1BZSVus6q1YgEvPg9pr4E%3D\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nature Astronomy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Larger than the planet Mercury, Ganymede is the biggest of Jupiter\u2019s moons and has long been of great interest to scientists due to the vast internal ocean of water hidden beneath its icy crust. Previous spectroscopic observations by NASA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/galileo\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Galileo<\/a> spacecraft and <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/hubble\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> as well as the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope hinted at the presence of salts and organics, but the spatial resolution of those observations was too low to make a determination.<\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1000\" src=\"\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Processed data from the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"object-position: 50% 50%;object-fit: cover\" \/><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Processed data from the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer aboard NASA\u2019s Juno mission is superimposed on a mosaic of optical images from the agency\u2019 s Galileo and Voyager spacecraft that show grooved terrain on Jupiter\u2019s moon Ganymede.<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/SwRI\/ASI\/INAF\/JIRAM\/Brown University<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>On June 7, 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CC7OJ7gFLvE\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Juno flew over Ganymede<\/a> at a minimum altitude of 650 miles (1,046 kilometers). Shortly after the time of closest approach, the JIRAM instrument acquired infrared images and infrared spectra (essentially the chemical fingerprints of materials, based on how they reflect light) of the moon\u2019s surface. Built by the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, JIRAM was designed to capture the infrared light (invisible to the naked eye) that emerges from deep inside Jupiter, probing the weather layer down to 30 to 45 miles (50 to 70 kilometers) below the gas giant\u2019s cloud tops. But the instrument has also been used to offer insights into the terrain of moons Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto (known collectively as the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/jupiter\/moons\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Galilean moons<\/a> for their discoverer, Galileo).<\/p>\n<p>The JIRAM data of Ganymede obtained during the flyby achieved an unprecedented spatial resolution for infrared spectroscopy \u2013 better than 0.62 miles (1 kilometer) per pixel. With it, Juno scientists were able to detect and analyze the unique spectral features of non-water-ice materials, including hydrated sodium chloride, ammonium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, and possibly aliphatic aldehydes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe presence of ammoniated salts suggests that Ganymede may have accumulated materials cold enough to condense ammonia during its formation,\u201d said Federico Tosi, a Juno co-investigator from Italy\u2019s National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome and lead author of the paper. \u201cThe carbonate salts could be remnants of carbon dioxide-rich ices.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exploring Other Jovian Worlds<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Previous modeling of <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/jupiter\/moons\/ganymede\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ganymede\u2019s magnetic field<\/a> determined the moon\u2019s equatorial region, up to a latitude of about 40 degrees, is shielded from the energetic electron and heavy ion bombardment created by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-N7nRh5v1Iw\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jupiter\u2019s hellish magnetic field<\/a>. The presence of such particle fluxes is well known to negatively impact salts and organics.<\/p>\n<p>During the June 2021 flyby, JIRAM covered a narrow range of latitudes (10 degrees north to 30 degrees north) and a broader range of longitudes (minus 35 degrees east to 40 degrees east) in the Jupiter-facing hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe found the greatest abundance of salts and organics in the <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/resource\/ganymede-bright-and-dark-terrain\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">dark and bright terrains<\/a> at latitudes protected by the magnetic field,\u201d said Scott Bolton, Juno\u2019s principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. \u201cThis suggests we are seeing the remnants of a deep ocean brine that reached the surface of this frozen world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ganymede is not the only Jovian world Juno has flown by. The moon Europa, thought to harbor an ocean under its icy crust, also came under Juno\u2019s gaze, first in <a href=\"https:\/\/photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov\/catalog\/PIA24970\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">October 2021<\/a> and then in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-juno-gets-highest-resolution-close-up-of-jupiters-moon-europa\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">September 2022<\/a>. Now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasas-juno-is-getting-ever-closer-to-jupiters-moon-io\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Io is receiving the flyby treatment<\/a>. The next close approach to that volcano-festooned world is scheduled for Dec. 30, when the spacecraft will come within 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) of Io\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>More About the Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA\u2019s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) funded the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built and operates the spacecraft.<\/p>\n<p>More information about Juno is available at: <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>DC Agle<br \/>Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br \/>818-393-9011<br \/><a href=\"mailto:agle@jpl.nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">agle@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Karen Fox \/ Alana Johnson<br \/>NASA Headquarters, Washington<br \/>301-286-6284 \/ 202-358-1501<br \/><a href=\"mailto:karen.c.fox@nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Deb Schmid<br \/>Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio<br \/>210-522-2254<br \/><a href=\"mailto:dschmid@swri.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">dschmid@swri.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Marco Galliani<br \/>National Institute for Astrophysics<br \/>+39 06 355 33 390<br \/><a href=\"mailto:Marco.galliani@inaf.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Marco.galliani@inaf.it<\/a><\/p>\n<p>2023-157<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n Click here for original story, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/juno\/salts-and-organics-observed-on-ganymedes-surface-by-nasas-juno\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Salts and Organics Observed on Ganymede\u2019s Surface by NASA\u2019s Juno<\/a>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nSource: NASA Breaking News&#013;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This enhanced image of the Jovian moon Ganymede was obtained by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft during the mission\u2019s June 7, 2021, flyby of the icy moon. Data&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":615444,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-770852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-NASA"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=770852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/615444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=770852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=770852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=770852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}