New photos of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, were beamed back by NASA.
The latest view of the two moons was captured during the 39th close flyby of Jupiter. At the time, the spacecraft was about 38,000 miles above Jupiter, at a latitude of 52 degrees south.
The new photo, which NASA shared on March 16, offers a stunning view of Jupiter's southern hemisphere, with two of its many moons to the right of the frame. The agency shared a zoom in view that shows the moons in a clear view, with Io on the left and Europa on the right.
In the first close-up images in 20 years, Jupiter's largest moon is revealed in stunning detail.
Io is the most volcanic body in the solar system. There are hundreds of volcanoes that dot its surface.
Scientists believe that the ocean of liquid water lies beneath the icy surface of the smallest of Jupiter's four giant Galilean moons. Evidence of water in the south polar region of the moon has been found, suggesting that there is water in the moon's ocean.
The closest fly-by of the moon will be in September. During this fly-by, the probe will use several of its scientific instruments to study the moon in greater detail.
According to the NASA statement, the Juno mission will make close approaches to lo in late 2023 and early 2024. The mission is expected to end in September.
The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) and the NASA's Europa Clipper mission will soon follow in the wake of Juno.
The data from the instrument was used to process the Jupiter photo. Members of the community can suggest features on Jupiter for the camera to photograph, and the raw images are available online to the public.
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