- Original Caption Released with Image:
-
New Horizons took this image of the icy moon Europa rising above Jupiter's
cloud tops with its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) at 11:48
Universal Time on February 28, 2007, six hours after the spacecraft's
closest approach to Jupiter.
The picture was one of a handful of the Jupiter system that New Horizons
took primarily for artistic, rather than scientific, value. This
particular scene was suggested by space enthusiast Richard Hendricks of
Austin, Texas, in response to an Internet request by New Horizons
scientists for evocative, artistic imaging opportunities at Jupiter.
The spacecraft was 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Jupiter
and 3 million kilometers (1.8 million miles) from Europa when the picture
was taken. Europa's diameter is 3,120 kilometers (1,939 miles). The image
is centered on Europa coordinates 5 degrees south, 6 degrees west. In
keeping with its artistic intent - and to provide a more dramatic
perspective - the image has been rotated so south is at the top.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest
Research Institute
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