A new video lets you hear what NASA’s Juno spacecraft witnessed as it flew over Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, last month.
The soundtrack, which is 11 seconds long, expresses variations in plasma frequency, using data collected by the Juno probe over a period of 90 minutes, during its flight to Europa on September 29.
Converting this data into sound – so-called sonication of the data – makes it possible to hear the difference in frequency of the plasma waves observed by the probe near Europa as the density of the plasma changes.
Plasma wave detections were made by the Waves instrument in the 50 to 150 kHz frequency range, and the data collected will help reveal more about Europe, according to a NASA statement.
The Waves instrument is designed to help scientists understand interactions between Jupiter’s atmosphere and magnetic field and magnetosphere, as well as to understand Jupiter’s aurora borealis.
It could also be useful in learning more about Europa, which scientists believe has a large subsurface ocean. Measuring changes in the density of the charged particle gas, or plasma, surrounding Europa could provide insights into the moon’s magnetic field and, in turn, clues about the structure of the moon’s interior.
The emissions revealed that the plasma density near Europe ranged from about 60 to 120 electrons per cubic centimeter, but with a very short peak near 300 electrons per cubic centimeter at Juno’s closest approach to Europe, according to NASA.
The Juno probe entered orbit around Jupiter in July 2016. This flight is part of a mission that began in 2021. Juno flew to Ganymede in June 2021, where NASA also created an impressive audio clip of the data.
Juno will also fly close to the volcanically active Galilean moons, in late 2023 and early 2024, as Jupiter’s intense gravity brings Juno closer to the planet with each orbit of the spacecraft.