Juno Redefines Jupiter's Size, Shape

By Norman Metanza

NASA's Juno mission has unveiled a surprising new portrait of Jupiter, revealing the gas giant is 8 kilometers narrower at its equator and 24 kilometers flatter at its poles than previously believed. This precise re-measurement, achieved through 13 radio occultation flybys, is crucial for accurately modeling distant exoplanets and updates decades-old data.

NASA's Juno mission reveals Jupiter is 8 kilometers narrower at the equator and 24 kilometers flatter at the poles than previously estimated.
Scientists refined these measurements using radio occultation data from 13 flybys, a technique precisely gauging Jupiter's internal structure.
This updated understanding, published in Nature Astronomy, is vital for accurately modeling giant exoplanets beyond our solar system.
Previous estimates relied on less precise data from the Pioneer and Voyager missions nearly 50 years ago, according to Xinhua.

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