New Horizons Spacecraft Passes Jupiter
影像版權: NASA, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Southwest Research Institute
Explanation:
A new spacecraft is headed for the outer Solar System. Named New Horizons, this robotic explorer passed Jupiter last week after being launched only in early 2006. New Horizons is being pulled by Jupiter's gravity to a greater speed toward its next target: Pluto in 2015. During its encounter with Jupiter, New Horizons was able to capture new images of many Jovian moons, Jupiter's complex and ever-changing atmosphere, and Jupiter's Little Red Spot, pictured above. Formed over the past few years from several smaller storms, Jupiter's Little Red Spot survived a near miss with Jupiter's better-known Great Red Spot last year. The above image of Jupiter covers over twice the diameter of the Earth.
說明:
又有一艘新的太空船往外太陽系飛去，它就是新地平線號。這艘探測船於2006年年初發射，在上個星期飛過了木星的身旁。新地平線號將受到木星引力的牽引，加速往它的下一個目標：冥王星前進，預計2015年可抵達。如上圖，利用這次接近木星的機會，新地平線號得以拍到許多木星衛星，木星複雜且多變的大氣，以及木星小紅斑的最新影像。小紅斑在幾年前形成，去年幾乎要與知名的大紅斑相撞，不過沒撞上，直到現在它仍一直存活著。上面的影像，包含了木星上大約兩倍地球大小的區域。
下面為"新地平線號"拍攝到的Tvashtar in Motion (five-frame 動畫)
Tvashtar Paterae is an active volcanic region of Jupiter's moon Io located near the moon's north pole. It is a series of paterae, or volcanic craters. (Wikipedia)
Tvashtar Paterae 是木星月亮上一塊活火山地帶，它是一連串版快移動和火山的中央。
Release date: May 14, 2007
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute
資料來源: Scientific American
New Horizons
Department of Physics, NCKU
