Mapping Jupiter's interior structure and magnetic field
Juno arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a 5-year cruise. It follows a highly elliptical polar orbit — dipping closer to Jupiter's cloud tops than any previous spacecraft — to map the planet's gravitational and magnetic fields and peer beneath the cloud deck. Solar-powered despite operating at 5 AU (where sunlight is 25× fainter than at Earth), Juno has returned stunning close-up images of Jupiter's polar storms and discovered that the Great Red Spot extends hundreds of kilometers deep.