{"id":284148,"date":"2026-02-14T17:39:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/284148\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T17:39:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T17:39:08","slug":"jupiter-isnt-as-big-as-we-thought-heres-what-scientists-just-discovered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/284148\/","title":{"rendered":"Jupiter Isn\u2019t As Big As We Thought, Here\u2019s What Scientists Just Discovered"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, has just gotten a bit smaller, at least according to the latest data. New measurements reveal that the gas giant is slightly narrower at the equator and flatter at the poles than previously believed.<\/p>\n

For decades, scientists relied on measurements from NASA\u2019s Voyager and Pioneer spacecraft to estimate Jupiter\u2019s size. These early calculations were based on a technique called radio occultation (RO), which used the bending of radio signals as they passed through the planet\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n

While this data was groundbreaking at the time, recent advancements in technology, alongside NASA\u2019s Juno mission, have provided a more detailed and accurate picture of Jupiter\u2019s dimensions. <\/p>\n

Jupiter\u2019s New Dimensions: A Subtle Shift<\/p>\n

The most recent findings reveal that Jupiter\u2019s equatorial radius is 71,488 kilometers (44,421 miles), while its north pole radius measures 66,842 kilometers. As stated in a NASA report<\/a>, this means the planet is 8 kilometers narrower at the equator and 24 kilometers flatter at the poles compared to previous estimations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese few kilometers matter,\u201d said Eli Galanti<\/a>, a planetary scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, highlighting that such small shifts in radius are crucial for refining models of the planet\u2019s interior. The improved measurements help align gravity data and atmospheric readings more closely.<\/p>\n

\"UpdatedUpdated size of Jupiter based on NASA\u2019s Juno mission. Credit: Weizmann Institute of Science<\/p>\n

The Juno Mission\u2019s Clear Findings<\/p>\n

Research published in Nature Astronomy<\/a> showed that the accuracy of these new measurements comes from NASA\u2019s Juno mission<\/a>, which has been orbiting the gas giant since 2016. In 2021, Juno was repositioned into a new orbit that allowed it to pass behind the planet from Earth\u2019s perspective, providing a clearer view of the gas giant than ever before. This new position enabled the collection of more frequent radio occultation data, improving the precision of size calculations. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe tracked how the radio signals bend as they pass through Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere, which allowed us to translate this information into detailed maps of Jupiter\u2019s temperature and density,\u201d explained Maria Smirnova<\/a>, a planetary scientist at the Weizmann Institute. <\/p>\n

This process has produced the clearest picture yet of Jupiter\u2019s size and shape.<\/p>\n

\"ComparisonComparison of Jupiter\u2019s shape before and after wind effects, with a 14 km polar difference. Credit: Nature Astronomy<\/p>\n

Atmospheric Phenomena Driven by Winds<\/p>\n

In addition to refining the planet\u2019s dimensions, the latest study also took Jupiter\u2019s powerful winds into account. Previous models had to ignore the impact of these high-speed atmospheric currents when calculating the planet\u2019s size. <\/p>\n

However, recent studies of the planetary behemoth\u2019s weather systems allowed scientists to incorporate the effects of these winds into their calculations. By factoring in how these winds influence the planet\u2019s structure, the research team was able to achieve a more accurate set of measurements. He emphasized the importance of this integration, noting that including wind data significantly improved the precision of their calculations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jupiter, the largest planet in our Solar System, has just gotten a bit smaller, at least according to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284149,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[111,139,69,147,392],"class_list":["post-284148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284148"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284148\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}