NASA finds Jupiter smaller, flatter than original measurement

The largest planet in the solar system may be a little smaller and more “squashed” than previously believed, based upon data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Juno spacecraft.

Although the updated figures will not strip Jupiter of its record-holding position as the largest planet in the solar system, new data from NASA’s Juno probe suggests that Jupiter is slightly flatter and thinner than previously believed.

According to the new findings, Jupiter’s equatorial diameter was 88,841 miles (142,976km) which is roughly five miles (around eight kilometers) less than previous measurements.

Jupiter’s diameter from north pole to south pole is 83,067 miles (133,684km), which is roughly 15 miles (24km) less than what the original measurement had suggested.

However, according to the authors of the new findings, the data from decades before “do not account for the influence of Jupiter’s strong winds.”

NASA missions

Previously, NASA’s Voyager and Pioneer missions, which were launched about 50 years ago, used only six observations to estimate Jupiter’s shape.

Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016 to obtain a more recent image of the planet.

To determine the size of the gas giant, the Juno spacecraft sent radio signals toward Earth through the planet’s atmosphere. 

The temperature, pressure, and other properties of the atmosphere caused the waves to slow or bend. The method is known as radio occultation.

According to a statement, they relied on 24 measurements made during a novel orbital trajectory that started a few years ago and involves the probe moving behind the gas giant from Earth’s perspective.

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New finding’s implications

Because Jupiter’s radius is a key reference used in simulations of the planet’s interior and atmospheric structure, scientists are benefiting from precise new measurements of the planet.

The new discovery may also contribute to a better understanding of gas giants, as scientists utilise Jupiter to study this class of planets outside of the solar system.

“Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and contains most of its planetary mass, so understanding its composition and internal structure is central to understanding how the solar system formed and evolved.”

“Jupiter likely formed early, and strongly influenced the distribution of material, the growth of other planets and the delivery of volatiles to the inner solar system, including Earth,” study co-author Eli Galanti said.

“Shifting the radius by just a little lets our models of Jupiter’s interior fit both the gravity data and atmospheric measurements much better.”

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