ISU planetarium head gives insight into Jupiter probe

Posted on July 6, 2016
The planet Jupiter is wide enough to fit 11 Earths across its clouded disk. (Photo NASA/JPL)
The planet Jupiter is wide enough to fit 11 Earths across its clouded disk. (Photo NASA/JPL)

By Greg Halbleib

The latest probe of Jupiter is moving in closer than ever to the huge planet, and the head of the Illinois State University Planetarium is watching closely.

Tom Willmitch of the Illinois State University Planetarium tells WJBC’s Patti Penn that NASA’s space probe Juno expands on earlier missions to Jupiter.

“This mission is five times closer,” said Willmitch, compairing Juno to the Galileo probe. “Juno is essentially skimming the clouds of Jupiter.”

Willmitch says Jupiter is enormous. “It would take 11 Earths in a row to span the face of Jupiter,” said Willmitch, “and if Jupiter were hollow, it would hold nearly 1,400 planet Earths.”

Willmih says a primary goal of Juno’s mission is to try to learn more about the core structure of Jupiter, which may tell a lot about other planets.

“By understanding that deep structure, it gives us a far greater understanding of Jupiter,” said Willmitch. “It helps us understand how Jupiter formed and in turn, it helps us understand how all the planets of our solar system including our Earth formed long ago.”

The Juno probe entered Jupiter’s orbit on Tuesday. Its plan is to circle Jupiter 37 times over the next 20 months.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].

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