NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently captured images of Amalthea, a tiny moon orbiting Jupiter, showcasing its red hue. The moon is dubbed as the “reddest object in the solar system”. Images taken during a close flyby of Jupiter on March 7 also highlighted the Great Red Spot, a well-known storm on the gas giant. Amalthea, with a radius of 52 miles and a potato-like shape, orbits close to Jupiter, featuring a unique red color potentially caused by sulfur contamination from nearby moon Io.
Citizen scientist Gerald Eichstadt processed the Juno images for color and clarity, showcasing Jupiter’s vibrant atmosphere. NASA encourages public involvement in exploring and processing raw images to reveal the beauty and mysteries of Jupiter and its moons, like Amalthea. Despite not clearly visible in the recent images, NASA also revealed the moon emits more heat than it receives from the sun, possibly due to electric currents induced by Jupiter’s magnetic field or tidal stresses from the gas giant’s gravity.
Juno’s mission at Jupiter began in 2016 with the aim of studying the massive planet and its numerous moons. Amalthea, alongside 95 officially recognized moons of Jupiter, lies in the midst of a tantalizing exploration campaign. NASA will soon embark on the Europa Clipper mission to study Jupiter’s moon Europa, considered a potential hotspot for signs of life. Amalthea, however, remains elusive even with advanced technology like spacecrafts, making it considerably difficult to spot from Earth compared to some of Jupiter’s other moons like Europa, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Discovered in 1892 by American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard, Amalthea has been a subject of study for NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which imaged the moon multiple times since 1996 unveiling impact craters and valleys on its surface. Despite its intriguing characteristics, Amalthea’s future is grim, with NASA predicting that its orbit will eventually decay, leading to its collision with Jupiter. Similarly, Juno, the solar-powered spacecraft that captured Amalthea’s images, is expected to meet its end by either September 2025 or upon completion of its mission, eventually burning up in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Overall, Juno continues to amaze space enthusiasts and scientists with mesmerizing views and up-close explorations of Jupiter and its assortment of moons, including the enigmatic Amalthea. The recent images have shed light on the mini moon’s red hue and peculiar characteristics, sparking curiosity among researchers and the public. As NASA continues its missions to study Jupiter’s moons and the gas giant itself, the future discoveries in the vast expanse of our solar system remain promising and captivating, offering a fascinating glimpse into the mysteries of the cosmos.
