SPACE

How Juno Can Still Beam Back Breathtaking Images of Jupiter

May 10th, 2026

Juno reached Jupiter almost 10 years ago, and it’s been studying the gas giant and its many moons ever since. In fact, just a few days ago, Juno zoomed close (around 3,000 miles) to Thebe, a small, irregularly shaped inner moon, and managed to snap a photo.

It’s obviously not the best photo, but that’s because it was taken with Juno’s Stellar Reference Unit camera. Primarily used to image star fields for navigation, this sensitive, low-light camera has been doing double duty collecting observations of Jupiter’s moons and other phenomena on its surface, like “shallow lightning” in the upper atmosphere.

The best shots have been captured by the spacecraft’s JunoCam, its on-board, full-color telescopic camera that’s beamed back some of the most incredible images of Jupiter (and its moons) ever captured.

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NASA originally planned to end Juno’s mission after 32 orbits, but they opted instead to prolong it (it’s past orbit 60). While radiation damage to JunoCam—which extends beyond the spacecraft’s titanium shield—threatened to curtail its operation, NASA was able to fix the camera using a process called “annealing.” Essentially, NASA engineers heated JunoCam up to 77 degrees Fahrenheit to remove its imperfections.

That doesn’t mean, though, Juno, or its camera, will last forever. Thankfully, there’s another spacecraft on the way. The European Space Agency’s JUICE observer launched in 2023 and will reach Jupiter in 2031 to study its icy moons. With its higher-resolution camera, JUICE promises to send back even more breathtaking visuals.

Curated By

Alistair Finch
Science Journalist/Editor | Research Analyst for Aerospace/Oceanographic Institutions
Alistair Finch approaches journalism through a cosmic lens, focusing on the profound mysteries that unite rather than divide us. While political discourse often centers on terrestrial divisions, Alistair's editorial vision emphasizes humanity's shared journey aboard Spaceship Earth. His curated content explores unexplained aerial phenomena, deep-ocean revelations, and celestial wonders that remind us of our small but significant place in the universe. When political debates heat up, Alistair gently redirects attention to the bigger picture—our pale blue dot suspended in the vast cosmos. Alongside his colleague Julian, whose empathic investigative work champions humanitarian causes, Alistair provides readers with perspective that transcends conventional narratives. Together, they offer journalism that illuminates both the microscopic compassion within human hearts and the macroscopic marvels beyond our atmosphere. Their combined approach recognizes that understanding our world requires examining everything from the depths of our oceans to the furthest reaches of space, all while never losing sight of the human stories that connect us across every boundary.
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