Using ground-based telescopes, scientists from NASA have discovered water above Jupiter’s deepest clouds. This water pressure, coupled with measurements of another oxygen-carrying gas known as carbon monoxide, implies that Jupiter has between two to nine times more oxygen than our sun. These findings uphold theoretical and computer-simulation models that have predicted water abundance on Jupiter, and the data collected through this research will support the information gathered by NASA’s Juno spacecraft.
The Planet Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and has an atmosphere primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. The radiation levels on this gas giant exceed 1,000 times the safety limit for humans due to its strong magnetic field – the strongest in the solar system. Jupiter is perhaps best known for its Great Red Spot, a storm larger than Earth that has been ongoing for centuries. The planet’s appearance is characterized by cold, windy clouds of ammonia and water, manifesting as reddish, brown, and beige stripes and swirls.
About the Juno Spacecraft
Launched in 2011, Juno is a NASA space probe currently orbiting Jupiter. It uses a microwave radiometer instrument to measure water – serving essentially as a radio receiver enabling scientists on Earth to “see” inside Jupiter’s atmosphere. Understanding the amount of water inside Jupiter is crucial to decoding how the solar system was formed as it explains Jupiter’s formation process. The spacecraft will also study Jupiter’s gravitational field, magnetic field, and interior composition.
Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)
NASA is gearing up to launch ICESat-2, the most advanced laser instrument to date, into space. This instrument is designed to measure changes in Earth’s polar ice heights with unprecedented detail. ICESat-2 will record the average annual elevation change of land ice in Greenland and Antarctica, capturing measurements every second to enrich our knowledge of how these ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels.
As ICESat-2 orbits Earth from pole to pole, it will measure ice heights in the polar regions four times a year, providing seasonal and annual monitoring of ice elevation changes. Beyond the poles, ICESat-2 can measure the height of ocean and land surfaces, including forests. Its Advanced Topographic Laser Altimeter System (ATLAS) measures height by timing how long it takes individual light photons to travel from the spacecraft to Earth and back. ATLAS, designed to measure both the tops and the ground below trees coupled with existing datasets on forest extent, is expected to help researchers estimate the amount of carbon stored in the world’s forests.
