Juno perijove 7: GRS images, July 11, 2017 |
Juno perijove 7: GRS images, July 11, 2017 |
Jun 30 2017, 12:38 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2346 Joined: 7-December 12 Member No.: 6780 |
There are another three days left over to vote for Perijove-07 points of interest (POI).
This time, all eyes will be on the Great Red Spot (GRS). Provided everything works as scheduled, one RGB image will be made almost above the center of the GRS. I'd think, that this RGB image will be complemented by a methane image. Since this time, we won't have contact with Earth during the flyby, the amount of data to be collected is rather constraint. Therefore, only a small number of images of the polar region is scheduled, just enough for a long-term observation. Storage will be sufficient for imaging several POIs to be voted for, but we may not get a full latitudinal coverage. In order to obtain a full latitudinal coverage of the GRS and adjacent regions, we should take at least one image near the northern and one image near the southern edge of the GRS, better a set of five RGB images. We would see the GRS from different angles, and we would be able to study the turbulence north and south of the GRS. I'd also expect, that only images from north and south of the GRS will be able to cover most of its longitudinal extent. In addition, a sequence of images near the GRS would provide the raw material for a great and unprecedented fly-over movie. That said, there are several other interesting or potentially interesting targets to consider. Besides for an adjacent region of the GRS, I voted for the two polar-most POIs, since I hope, that we'll get some additional polar and subpolar images for a long-term study, and more close-ups of those incredibly turbulent FFR zones near the poles. |
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Jul 31 2017, 09:50 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2346 Joined: 7-December 12 Member No.: 6780 |
The Roche limit for a rigid spherical body is about 1.26 times the radius of the primary body, multiplied by a factor derived from the density quotient. With Jupiter's radius of about 70,000 km, we get a Roche limit of 70,000 km x 0.26 = 18,000 km altitude. This applies to rigid bodies of a density of about 1.3 g/cm³ like Jupiter's mean density. An iron asteroid could probably plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere without prior break-up due to its high density compared to Jupiter.
The images of the GRS have been taken from altitudes between 6200 km (#59), and 16,500 km (#62). Small bodies of sufficient shear and tensile strength may survive well within their formal Roche limit, too. Impacts of small bodies into Jupiter's atmosphere have been observed. Hence unlikely, but not ruled out to observe such an event. The latest such observed impacts have been observed in March 2016, and in May 2017. |
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