                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2023 June 13

                            Moons Across Jupiter
    Image Credit: NASA; ESA, JPL, Cassini Imaging Team, SSI; Processing:
                                Kevin M. Gill

   Explanation: Jupiter's moons circle Jupiter. The featured video depicts
   Europa and Io, two of Jupiter's largest moons, crossing in front of the
   grand planet's Great Red Spot, the largest known storm system in our
   Solar System. The video was composed from images taken by the robotic
   Cassini spacecraft as it passed Jupiter in 2000, on its way to Saturn.
   The two moons visible are volcanic Io, in the distance, and icy Europa.
   In the time-lapse video, Europa appears to overtake Io, which is odd
   because Io is closer to Jupiter and moves faster. The explanation is
   that the motion of the fast Cassini spacecraft changes the camera
   location significantly during imaging. Jupiter is currently being
   visited by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft, while ESA's Jupiter Icy
   Moons Explorer (JUICE), launched in April, is enroute.

                  Tomorrow's picture: interstellar predator
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

