At this time within the historical past of astronomy, Voyager 2 makes its closest strategy to Jupiter.
The Voyager probes (one proven right here in an artist’s interpretation) had been initially meant to go to Saturn and Jupiter, however their success despatched them onwards to Uranus, Nepture, and interstellar area. Credit score: Kevin Gill/Wikimedia
- Voyager 2 intently studied Jupiter in July 1979.
- It found Jupiter has a skinny ring system.
- Voyager 2 discovered proof of a subsurface ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
- Its Jupiter discoveries allowed for mission extension to Uranus and Neptune.
On July 9, 1979, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft came within 404,003 miles (650,180 kilometers) of Jupiter. Launched in August 1977, the Voyager probes had been initially deliberate to check Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 1 arrived at Jupiter in March 1979, and Voyager 2 adopted a number of months later. Outfitted with narrow- and wide-angle cameras, an interferometer, an ultraviolet spectrometer, a magnetometer, and extra, Voyager 2 confirmed that the Nice Crimson Spot was a storm system and revealed Jupiter’s skinny ring system. Its investigations of the gasoline big’s moons included confirming lively volcanism on the moon Io and taking high-resolution photos of Europa that steered a ocean beneath its icy crust. Its success allowed Voyager 2 to increase its mission, changing into the one spacecraft to carry out close-up explorations of Uranus and Neptune earlier than persevering with the journey into interstellar area.
