NASA’s Juno spacecraft has delivered a suite of groundbreaking discoveries about Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io, thanks to an array of high-tech instruments and daring flybys. Unveiled by mission scientists at a major European geosciences conference at the end of April 2025, these new findings bring humanity closer than ever to understanding the turbulent worlds orbiting our solar system’s largest planet—and may have far-reaching implications for science both globally and right here in Thailand.
Juno’s most recent breakthroughs include the detection of extensive, still-warm lava flows lurking beneath Io’s frigid surface, deepened insights into the mechanisms of Jupiter’s ferocious polar cyclones, and the first ever direct measurements of temperature differences in Jupiter’s north polar regions. For Thai readers who grew up with images of peaceful night skies, the news underscores just how dynamic and extreme our celestial neighborhood can be.
The significance of these findings extends beyond the realm of astronomical curiosity. As the only spacecraft currently able to peer beneath Jupiter’s thick, swirling clouds and map Io’s subsurface heat, Juno is fundamentally rewriting what scientists know about how volcanoes operate on other worlds. According to the Juno mission’s lead investigator at the Southwest Research Institute, Jupiter is “home to gigantic polar cyclones bigger than Australia, fierce jet streams, the most volcanic body in our solar system, the most powerful aurora, and the harshest radiation belts.” Each Juno orbit provides a new perspective on the scale and energy of this gas giant, deepening our appreciation of planetary extremes and pushing the boundaries of human-made technology.
A major highlight of this scientific campaign is the mapping of Io’s subterranean lava lakes using the Juno spacecraft’s Microwave Radiometer (MWR), coupled with the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM). While the MWR was originally designed to probe Jupiter’s mysterious atmosphere, mission scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory leveraged it for a daring side mission: to probe Io’s blazing volcanic underworld. By combining microwaves and infrared data, researchers uncovered extensive zones of still-molten magma just beneath the visibly cooled crust—an insight that may reshape models of planetary resurfacing and volcanic dynamics.
One mission scientist at JPL explained, “When we incorporated the MWR data with JIRAM’s infrared imagery, we were surprised by what we saw: evidence of still-warm magma that hasn’t yet solidified below Io’s cooled crust. At every latitude and longitude, there were cooling lava flows.” The latest data indicates that roughly 10% of Io’s surface is underpinned by these slowly cooling lava fields. The mechanism at work has been likened to a car radiator, efficiently moving heat from the moon’s interior to the surface, then releasing it into the frigid vacuum of space.
The drama on Io is not all in the subsurface. Juno’s infrared camera picked up the most energetic volcanic eruption in Io’s recorded history during a close flyby on December 27, 2024. This colossal event was still spewing lava and ash months later, with updated images taken in March suggesting it remains active. Mission scientists are eagerly anticipating another close Io encounter in May, aiming to capture new images and data that may shed light on ongoing geological activity.
While Io’s volcanic fury grabs headlines, equally captivating is the spacecraft’s work on Jupiter’s own chaotic weather. Juno’s radio occultation experiments—which bounce radio signals through Jupiter’s layers—have generated the first direct measurements of temperature in Jupiter’s north polar stratospheric cap, revealing it to be a striking 11 degrees Celsius cooler than neighboring regions and circled by roaring winds topping 100 mph (161 kph).
In perhaps the most vivid demonstration of planetary complexity, Juno’s long-term monitoring has tracked a herd of enormous cyclones churning at Jupiter’s north pole. Unlike hurricanes on Earth, which usually dissipate before reaching the poles due to changing weather dynamics, Jupiter’s cyclones cluster and interact, gradually drifting toward the pole through a process called ‘beta drift’. As they approach the pole, they start to ‘bounce’ off each other—an interplay compared to mechanical springs, creating constantly oscillating storm systems.
A scientist from the Weizmann Institute of Science, a co-investigator on the mission, described the findings: “These competing forces result in the cyclones ‘bouncing’ off one another in a manner reminiscent of springs in a mechanical system. This interaction not only stabilizes the entire configuration, but also causes the cyclones to oscillate around their central positions, as they slowly drift westward, clockwise, around the pole.” The new atmospheric models emerging from Juno’s data may eventually deepen our understanding of storm dynamics not just on Jupiter, but here on Earth as well.
Juno’s scientific achievements are matched only by the challenges its team has overcome. The spacecraft’s orbit continuously changes, subjecting it to new and extreme environments with every pass—including radiation belts far more intense than anything experienced by spacecraft in Earth orbit. As the principal investigator explains, “In the extended mission, that means we’re continuing to go where no spacecraft has gone before, including spending more time in the strongest planetary radiation belts in the solar system. It’s a little scary, but we’ve built Juno like a tank and are learning more about this intense environment each time we go through it.”
The broader impact of this research is not limited to international headlines. For Thailand’s science and technology community, the findings serve as a powerful reminder of both the scale of contemporary space exploration and the importance of investing in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. With Thai scientists and engineers increasingly participating in global research projects, Juno’s collaborative nature—blending expertise from US and European institutions—offers a lesson in the rewards of international cooperation.
Notably, Juno’s results also provide new teaching material for Thai educators, allowing them to convey the realities of planetary science to students through tangible, awe-inspiring discoveries. The concept of a moon acting as a “giant cosmic radiator” or a planet swirling with monster storms invites young Thais to picture themselves as future scientists or space engineers, contributing to the next wave of discoveries.
Historically, the Thai public’s interest in astronomy has been shaped by spectacular events like total lunar eclipses, which draw large crowds to public observatories nationwide, as well as by folk stories linking celestial bodies to local beliefs. Juno’s mission bridges the gulf between these traditions and modern scientific understanding, translating distant space events into phenomena that can be studied, visualized, and ultimately harnessed to deepen our grasp of Earth’s own geology and meteorology.
Looking ahead, NASA’s Juno mission continues to chart untraveled territory. Each new orbit brings a fresh set of data about Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere and Io’s volcanic heart. Anticipation is high for future flybys, which may capture even more detailed imagery of active volcanoes or further map the shifting boundaries of Jupiter’s great storms. The models developed as a result could eventually help meteorologists in Thailand and elsewhere predict Earth’s most violent weather patterns by analogy, or even inspire the design of new heat management systems in industrial technology by learning from Io’s “radiator” mechanism.
For now, Thai readers are encouraged to look skyward—not just as passive stargazers, but as participants in an era where humanity’s understanding of the solar system grows more profound with every scientific breakthrough. To support this endeavor, authorities, educators, and tech entrepreneurs are urged to champion STEM initiatives, promote astronomy outreach, and partner with international collaborators. More broadly, let these cosmic revelations spark curiosity, imagination, and a deeper appreciation of the dynamic, interconnected universe in which we live.
For more details on NASA’s Juno findings, visit the official mission update on SciTechDaily.