Juno Investigates Jupiter Water Mystery
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Text, News From The Universe. March 5, 2020
Juno Investigates Jupiter Water Mystery
Animation, A satellite in orbit
Text, NASA's Juno mission delivered its first results on the amount and distribution of water in Jupiter's atmosphere.
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It's not what astronomers expected.
Juno data shows that at the equator, water makes up about 0.25% of the molecules in Jupiter's atmosphere.
The surprise is that the atmosphere is not well-mixed, and water is variable across the planet.
Different theories about Jupiter's formation depend on the amount of water the forming planet absorbed.
Jupiter's formation story is key to understanding the history of the Solar System. It was likely the first planet to form.
Next Juno will focus on the northern hemisphere, where it will continue to investigate Jupiter's water mysteries.
This news was brought to you in part by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA