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NASA's Juno spacecraft, currently in orbit around the mighty gas giant Jupiter, hosts an array of sensors designed to peer under the outermost cloudtops and gather crucial data. Since Jupiter is the most massive planet orbiting the sun, its structure and ingredients are directly tied to the formation of the solar system itself. The deeper we peer into Jupiter, the further we look into our own past.

Tucked in between the spacecraft's sophisticated instruments is a relatively low-power digital camera, JunoCam, that is controlled via crowdsourced directions. People around the world suggest and vote on its next target by selecting points of interest on global images of Jupiter using NASA-provided software, and the raw images are made freely available to both researchers — who are already using the results to study the formation and evolution of smaller storms — and the public.

One fun thing: While the camera provides rare views of Jupiter's frenzied surface, it also presents an opportunity for artists of all stripes to draw inspiration from this remote world — and some of their work is simply stunning.

Paul Sutter is a cosmological researcher at Ohio State University's Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics.

Crowd-controlled Jupiter camera bridges science and art

NASA has put the public behind the lens of a camera on its Juno spacecraft.

A user-processed JunoCam image. Photo: NASA

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NASA&#x27;s Juno spacecraft, currently in orbit around the mighty gas giant Jupiter, hosts an array of sensors designed to peer under the outermost cloudtops and gather crucial data. Since Jupiter is the most massive planet orbiting the sun, its structure and ingredients are directly tied to the formation of the solar system itself. The deeper we peer into Jupiter, the further we look into our own past.Tucked in between the spacecraft&#x27;s sophisticated instruments is a relatively low-power digital camera, JunoCam, that is controlled <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="via crowdsourced directions" data-vars-click-url="https://app.salesforceiq.com/r?target=5a3acdd3e4b000d2e2273464&amp;t=AFwhZf0YKf-80Vb5SLVm0VKGzeroy8IDWNIk-nhSsnpihouX7TvvnPxPHsq68agkD2NEIDC0O1tJCB-iwcbo7e3IpK-bf5RkWoI5JkU4zZCmSovRoR6KkHRJFiYKXVaoZGgoxOvFl9dW" data-vars-content-id="0444131a-81be-4e8f-a241-b033eddd9ebe" data-vars-headline="Crowd-controlled Jupiter camera bridges science and art" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://app.salesforceiq.com/r?target=5a3acdd3e4b000d2e2273464&amp;t=AFwhZf0YKf-80Vb5SLVm0VKGzeroy8IDWNIk-nhSsnpihouX7TvvnPxPHsq68agkD2NEIDC0O1tJCB-iwcbo7e3IpK-bf5RkWoI5JkU4zZCmSovRoR6KkHRJFiYKXVaoZGgoxOvFl9dW" target="_blank">via crowdsourced directions</a>. People around the world suggest and vote on its next target by selecting points of interest on global images of Jupiter using NASA-provided software, and the raw images are made freely available to both researchers — who are already using the results to study the formation and evolution of smaller storms — and the public.One fun thing: While the camera provides rare views of Jupiter&#x27;s frenzied surface, it also presents an opportunity for artists of all stripes to draw inspiration from this remote world — and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="some of their work is simply stunning" data-vars-click-url="https://app.salesforceiq.com/r?target=5a3acdd3e4b000d2e2273471&amp;t=AFwhZf0YKf-80Vb5SLVm0VKGzeroy8IDWNIk-nhSsnpihouX7TvvnPxPHsq68agkD2NEIDC0O1tJCB-iwcbo7e3IpK-bf5RkWoI5JkU4zZCmSovRoR6KkHRJFiYKXVaoZGgoxOvFl9dW" data-vars-content-id="0444131a-81be-4e8f-a241-b033eddd9ebe" data-vars-headline="Crowd-controlled Jupiter camera bridges science and art" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://app.salesforceiq.com/r?target=5a3acdd3e4b000d2e2273471&amp;t=AFwhZf0YKf-80Vb5SLVm0VKGzeroy8IDWNIk-nhSsnpihouX7TvvnPxPHsq68agkD2NEIDC0O1tJCB-iwcbo7e3IpK-bf5RkWoI5JkU4zZCmSovRoR6KkHRJFiYKXVaoZGgoxOvFl9dW" target="_blank">some of their work is simply stunning</a>.Paul Sutter is a cosmological researcher at Ohio State University&#x27;s Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics.

A look at the scientific breakthroughs changing the world, explorations in space and in worlds beyond our own and the threats posed to us by our own planet, both out of our control and of our own making.

The Earth formed over 4 billion years ago with a ready supply of heavy elements like gold and platinum, but the source of those elements has been somewhat of a mystery.

Stars like our sun fuse hydrogen into helium, and at the end of their lives go on to create carbon and oxygen before exhausting themselves. Bigger stars are capable of the intense pressures needed to make silicon, magnesium, nickel and iron before exploding in ferocious supernova detonations that can make even heavier stuff.

What's next: The recent observation of merging neutron stars puts an interesting twist on the game of elements: three Earth masses worth of gold was found in the remnants of that explosion. This means that, like supernovas, these energetic mergers are capable of forming heavy elements. Which process dominates in the universe? We're still not sure.

Go deeper: More on the neutron star collision.

Prospecting for gold in the galactic wilderness

Evidence from a neutron star collision opens up new questions about the universe's source of heavy elements.

Gold nugget. Photo: studiocasper / iStock

The Earth formed over 4 billion years ago with a ready supply of heavy elements like gold and platinum, but the source of those elements has been somewhat of a mystery.Stars like our sun fuse hydrogen into helium, and at the end of their lives go on to create carbon and oxygen before exhausting themselves. Bigger stars are capable of the intense pressures needed to make silicon, magnesium, nickel and iron before exploding in ferocious supernova detonations that can make even heavier stuff.What&#x27;s next: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recent observation of merging neutron stars " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/universe-gossip-colliding-neutron-stars-detected-1513305150-131813af-21b2-4b6f-8967-14c1612c383a.html" data-vars-content-id="0ab4fa32-ec85-45c1-a0a9-a4b1f2773a61" data-vars-headline="Prospecting for gold in the galactic wilderness" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/universe-gossip-colliding-neutron-stars-detected-1513305150-131813af-21b2-4b6f-8967-14c1612c383a.html" target="_self">recent observation of merging neutron stars </a>puts an interesting twist on the game of elements: three Earth masses worth of gold was found in the remnants of that explosion. This means that, like supernovas, these energetic mergers are capable of forming heavy elements. Which process dominates in the universe? We&#x27;re still not sure.Go deeper: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="More on the neutron star collision" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/in-detecting-star-collision-for-first-time-astronomers-see-a-new-era-1513306217-3d4a9bd6-0c8b-4c3a-9baf-a997b4fde024.html" data-vars-content-id="0ab4fa32-ec85-45c1-a0a9-a4b1f2773a61" data-vars-headline="Prospecting for gold in the galactic wilderness" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/in-detecting-star-collision-for-first-time-astronomers-see-a-new-era-1513306217-3d4a9bd6-0c8b-4c3a-9baf-a997b4fde024.html" target="_self">More on the neutron star collision</a>.

Europa, the second moon of Jupiter, is encased in a thick crust of ice. Sitting far from the Sun, it's one of the last places you would expect to harbor life. But due to its elliptical orbit around Jupiter — it periodically swings closer and further from the giant planet — the differences in gravity flex and squeeze the core, heating it to molten temperatures.

The end result: Buried under 100 kilometers of rock-hard ice is a globe-spanning liquid water ocean. More liquid water than on the Earth. But is there life?

Why it matters: New simulations suggest the icy shell is broken into segments that shift, flex, and subduct, just like the Earth's crust. Essential nutrients on the surface could then make their way to the ocean, providing a possible pathway for life —permanently locked away from sunlight — to survive.

The secrets hiding under Europa's ice

A liquid ocean near the body's core hints at the possibility of life.

Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Photo: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SETI Institute 

Europa, the second moon of Jupiter, is encased in a thick crust of ice. Sitting far from the Sun, it&#x27;s one of the last places you would expect to harbor life. But due to its elliptical orbit around Jupiter — it periodically swings closer and further from the giant planet — the differences in gravity flex and squeeze the core, heating it to molten temperatures.The end result: Buried under 100 kilometers of rock-hard ice is a globe-spanning liquid water ocean. More liquid water than on the Earth. But is there life?Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="New simulations suggest" data-vars-click-url="https://news.agu.org/press-release/research-bolsters-possibility-of-plate-tectonics-on-europa/" data-vars-content-id="148b5bc0-945d-4b36-beb2-38f64146a154" data-vars-headline="The secrets hiding under Europa&#x27;s ice" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://news.agu.org/press-release/research-bolsters-possibility-of-plate-tectonics-on-europa/" target="_blank">New simulations suggest</a> the icy shell is broken into segments that shift, flex, and subduct, just like the Earth&#x27;s crust. Essential nutrients on the surface could then make their way to the ocean, providing a possible pathway for life —permanently locked away from sunlight — to survive.

On October 19 astronomers with the Pan-STARRS facility in Hawaii spotted an otherwise unremarkable small object tumbling through our solar system, but initial and follow-up observations revealed several intriguing characteristics:

It was moving faster than 50,000 mph before it arrived, more than enough to ensure it wouldn't be captured by the sun.

It entered the inner solar system from an angle far steeper than other distant visitors like comets.

It appears to be more like an asteroid than a comet — if it were a comet, it would have produced a tail as it neared the sun.

Why it matters: All the evidence together suggests that A/2017 U1, as it's currently named, is not from around here. It likely formed in another stellar system altogether, was ejected who knows how long ago, and has been traveling interstellar space before a chance encounter with our sun. It's already on its way out — past the orbit of Mars — traveling back into the void.

An interstellar interloper in the solar system

It likely formed in another stellar system altogether.

The path of A/2017 U1 as it passed through our inner solar system in September and October 2017. Credit: NASA / JPL

On October 19 astronomers with the Pan-STARRS facility in Hawaii spotted an otherwise unremarkable small object tumbling through our solar system, but initial and follow-up observations revealed several intriguing characteristics:<ul><li>It was moving faster than 50,000 mph before it arrived, more than enough to ensure it wouldn&#x27;t be captured by the sun.</li><li>It entered the inner solar system from an angle far steeper than other distant visitors like comets.</li><li>It appears to be more like an asteroid than a comet — if it were a comet, it would have produced a tail as it neared the sun.</li></ul>Why it matters: All the evidence together suggests that A/2017 U1, as it&#x27;s currently named, is not from around here. It likely formed in another stellar system altogether, was ejected who knows how long ago, and has been traveling interstellar space before a chance encounter with our sun. It&#x27;s already on its way out — past the orbit of Mars — traveling back into the void.

If you're in the mood for adventures in space, then 2018 should leave you satisfied — for now, at least. With a half dozen major planetary exploration missions launching or approaching their targets this year, the solar system is going to be a busy place:

India's lunar lander and rover, Chandrayaan-2, will launch in March.

NASA leads a return to the Red Planet in May with the departure of its Insight lander.

Japan's Hayabusa 2 and NASA's OSIRIS-REx missions will arrive at their respective asteroid targets this summer.

The European Space Agency's BepiColombo orbiter will depart for Mercury in October.

What's next: These missions will return a bounty of information on the history of Mars, the curious properties of Mercury's interior, and even the origins of the solar system itself. Of course, every question answered could prompt at least a dozen more.

2018: The year of the solar system explorer

New spacecraft will head to the Moon, Mars, Mercury and asteroids.

An artist's concept of NASA's Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft. Photo: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

If you&#x27;re in the mood for adventures in space, then 2018 should leave you satisfied — for now, at least. With a half dozen major planetary exploration missions launching or approaching their targets this year, the solar system is going to be a busy place:<ul><li>India&#x27;s lunar lander and rover, Chandrayaan-2, will launch in March.</li><li>NASA leads a return to the Red Planet in May with the departure of its Insight lander.</li><li>Japan&#x27;s Hayabusa 2 and NASA&#x27;s OSIRIS-REx missions will arrive at their respective asteroid targets this summer.</li><li>The European Space Agency&#x27;s BepiColombo orbiter will depart for Mercury in October.</li></ul>What&#x27;s next: These missions will return a bounty of information on the history of Mars, the curious properties of Mercury&#x27;s interior, and even the origins of the solar system itself. Of course, every question answered could prompt at least a dozen more.Paul Sutter is a cosmological researcher at Ohio State University&#x27;s Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics.

Paul Sutter, astrophysicist

Stories

2018: The year of the solar system explorer

Crowd-controlled Jupiter camera bridges science and art

The secrets hiding under Europa's ice

An interstellar interloper in the solar system

Prospecting for gold in the galactic wilderness