Hold onto your telescopes, space fans! 🔭 NASA’s Juno spacecraft just dropped the first-ever 3D radiation map of Jupiter’s wild cosmic neighborhood—and it’s full of surprises. Scientists uncovered intense radiation zones near Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon that’s been giving us major ‘alien ocean’ vibes for years. 🌊✨
The map, built using data from Juno’s star-tracking tech (shoutout to Denmark’s Technical University and Italy’s Leonardo SpA! 🇩🇰🇮🇹), shows how tiny moons near Jupiter’s rings shape the planet’s radiation. Think of it like a cosmic glow stick party… except way deadlier. ☢️
Here’s the kicker: Europa’s orbit is way zappier than expected. High-energy electrons also pile up on the moon’s ‘leading side’—like space confetti stuck to the front of a speeding car. 🚗💨 Scientists say this intel is gold for future missions, like NASA’s Europa Clipper, which plans to hunt for life-friendly conditions there.
So next time you gaze at Jupiter, remember: it’s not just a gas giant—it’s a radiation disco. 🪩⚡ (Source: Xinhua)
