Juice detects different molecules in Earth’s atmosphere
When ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer’s (Juice) flew by Earth on 20 August 2024, it’s MAJIS instrument collected information in molecules in the atmosphere.
By collecting light coming from Earth, and seeing which wavelengths of light were reduced, MAJIS could tell which molecules were in between the planet and the instrument, absorbing the light.
MAJIS stands for Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer. Once at Jupiter, MAJIS will observe Jupiter’s clouds and the ingredients in its atmosphere. It will also investigate the atmospheres of Jupiter’s icy moons as well as ices and minerals on their surfaces.
Its measurements at Earth are helping prepare the instrument for maximum science at Jupiter. They also give a taste of what MAJIS can do in terms of identifying different molecules in an atmosphere.
[Image description: Two graphs, plotting radiance against wavelength. Each graph has a wiggly horizontal line with peaks and troughs. The main troughs are indicated with the names of molecules that MAJIS found in Earth’s atmosphere.]
Juice’s MAJIS instrument images Earth
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