Exobiologists believe Europa, the sixth-closest moon of Jupiter, is one of the hot-spots in the solar system for finding extra-terrestrial life. Jupiter had been fundamental to the evolution of our solar system, weighing twice as much as all of the other planets, asteroids and comets within it combined. The Nasa craft Juno has been travelling across the solar system over the past five years to reach the mighty gas giant, in an ambitious mission to solve some of the biggest mysteries still surrounding it. Tomorrow afternoon, it's set to slow its engines enough to be snatched by Jupiter's gravity and carried into orbit. Scientists hope Juno will reveal water levels in Jupiter's atmosphere, the nature of its magnetic fields and deep structure, and the make-up of its composition, temperature and cloud motions.

Source: New Zealand Herald July 03, 2016 17:03 UTC