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This spacecraft is heading for Jupiter with a JEDI on board

NASA's Juno mission is set to arrive in Jupiter's orbit on July 4. Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Lab is looking for data on how the planet's amazing auroras are created.

A rendering of NASA's unnamed Europa probe. (Image courtesy of NASA)

On the Fourth of July, get ready for BBQ, fireworks and Jupiter.
NASA’s latest planet-exploring probe is set to approach the solar system’s largest planet. If the Hubble Space Telescope’s preview is any indication, some spectacular views are in store for Juno.


If the fact that it’ll be exploring a region called the Crab Nebula doesn’t provide enough Baltimore connection, consider Johns Hopkins’ role in the mission.
JHU’s Applied Physics Lab isn’t responsible for the whole mission like it was with Pluto, but the scientists in Laurel did manage to get a JEDI onboard.
According to the JHU Hub, the Jupiter Energetic Particle Detector Instrument (JEDI) is taking samples of the space around Jupiter in hopes of finding out more about the energy-packed particles responsible for creating auroras like the one pictured above.
“Jupiter’s aurora has a power density 10 times greater than Earth’s, and an overall power that is a factor of 100 greater. What we want to know is, how is this system energized?” said APL’s Barry Mauk.

Companies: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / NASA
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