Jupiter May Have Been Hit by a Massive Proto-Planet Long Ago

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A massive planet slamming into Jupiter in its infancy could create the fuzzy core that astronomers observe in the gas giant today. (Credit: K. Suda & Y. Akimoto/Mabuchi Design Office/Astrobiology Center, Japan)

In 2016, NASA’s Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter with the goal of peering through Jupiter’s dense clouds to reveal the giant planet’s inner secrets. Along with the stunning pictures Juno has sent back, it’s also used its instruments to gaze deep into Jupiter’s heart.

One of the

Leave a Reply