NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Images of Stars En Route to Jupiter
February 4, 2025 – NASA’s Europa Clipper mission has successfully captured images of stars using its navigation cameras to verify its camera system and prepare for future observations. The images were taken on January 25, 2025, as Europa Clipper traveled approximately 21 million kilometers (13 million miles) from Earth.
The Europa Clipper mission is a NASA mission to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa, which is thought to have a subsurface ocean that may be habitable. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2024 and arrive at Europa in 2030.
The star images taken by Europa Clipper’s navigation cameras show several stars in the constellation Canis Major. The images were taken with the spacecraft’s Wide-Angle Camera and Narrow-Angle Camera, which will be used for navigation and science observations.
The Wide-Angle Camera has a field of view of 13.0 degrees by 13.0 degrees, and the Narrow-Angle Camera has a field of view of 2.1 degrees by 2.1 degrees. Both cameras are equipped with filters that allow them to observe visible light and near-infrared light.
The images taken by Europa Clipper’s navigation cameras are the first to be taken by the spacecraft since it was launched on October 12, 2024. The images show that the spacecraft’s cameras are functioning properly and are ready for use in upcoming science observations.
In addition to taking images of stars, Europa Clipper’s navigation cameras will also be used to track the spacecraft’s position and orientation. The cameras will also be used to take images of Jupiter, Europa, and other moons in the Jovian system.
The Europa Clipper mission is a major step forward in NASA’s exploration of Europa. The mission will provide scientists with new insights into Europa’s ocean and its potential for habitability.
En Route to Jupiter, NASA’s Europa Clipper Captures Images of Stars
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