Jupiter envisioned by the Juno spacecraft, displaying the shadow of the huge moon Ganymede on the left. Information from Juno hints that Jupiter is less spherical than earlier imagined, based on a recent study.(Image credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Thomas Thomopoulos © CC BY)
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Jupiter is somewhat tinier and less oblate than scientists have conceived for decades, as indicated by a recent investigation.
Researchers employed radio data from the Juno spacecraft to improve measurements of the solar system’s greatest planet. Although the distinctions among the present and preceding measurements are minimal, they are refining models of Jupiter’s interior and of other gaseous giants akin to it external to the solar system, the group stated Feb. 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy.
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Heretofore, scientists’ comprehension of Jupiter’s proportions and formation have relied on six dimensions carried out by the Voyager 1 and 2 and Pioneer 10 and 11 assignments. Those dimensions, which have since been adopted as customary, were carried out nearly 50 years prior utilizing radio emissions, according to the announcement.
But the Juno assignment, which has been amassing information on Jupiter and its moons since its arrival at the gas giant in 2016, has gathered considerably more of this radio information in the last two years. Utilizing that additional data, researchers have now improved dimensions of Jupiter’s dimensions down to around 1,300 feet (400 meters) in each bearing.
“Simply by ascertaining the span to Jupiter and observing how it spins, it’s conceivable to determine its proportions and configuration,” Kaspi said. “However, making exceptionally accurate evaluations calls for more sophisticated methodologies.”
An illustration of Jupiter demonstrating the disagreement between Juno’s perceptions and those of the Voyager and Pioneer probes. Bending light
In the new investigation, the scientists tracked the manner the radio emissions from Juno back to Earth contorted as they traveled through Jupiter’s atmosphere, before halting when the planet obstructed the emission entirely. Those dimensions enabled the group to account for Jupiter’s winds, which marginally modify the configuration of the gaseous planet. Consequently, they employed that data to make precise calculations of the planet’s configuration and dimensions.
With the novel information, the group calculated that the planet’s radius from its pole to its core is 41,534 miles (66,842 km) — 7.5 miles (12 km) smaller than preceding measurements. The newly calculated radius at the equator is 44,421 miles (71,488 km) — 2.5 miles (4 km) smaller than previously surmised.
“These few kilometers are significant,” study co-author Eli Galanti, a specialist on gas giants at the Weizmann Institute of Science, said in the announcement. “Readjusting the radius by simply a small amount enables our models of Jupiter’s interior to accommodate both the gravity information and atmospheric dimensions much more efficiently.”
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The modernized dimensions will improve our comprehension of Jupiter’s interior, as well as aid scientists interpret information from gas giants beyond the solar system, the researchers documented in the study.
“This exploration assists us in understanding how planets constitute and progress,” Kaspi said in the announcement. “Jupiter was probably the initial planet to constitute in the solar system, and by scrutinizing what’s transpiring inside it, we advance nearer to understanding how the solar system, and planets akin to ours, came into existence.”
Article Sources
Galanti, E., Smirnova, M., Ziv, M., Fonsetti, M., Caruso, A., Buccino, D. R., Hubbard, W. B., Militzer, B., Bolton, S. J., Guillot, T., Helled, R., Levin, S. M., Parisi, M., Park, R. S., Steffes, P., Tortora, P., Withers, P., Zannoni, M., & Kaspi, Y. (2026). The size and shape of Jupiter. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-026-02777-x
Skyler WareSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Skyler Ware constitutes a freelance science journalist reporting on chemistry, biology, paleontology and Earth science. She was a 2023 AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellow at Science News. Her work has likewise appeared in Science News Explores, ZME Science and Chembites, among others. Skyler possesses a Ph.D. in chemistry from Caltech.
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