NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft captured this view of Thebe, the second largest of Jupiter\u2019s inner moons, during a close pass on May 1, 2026. The spacecraft\u2019s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU) captured this image from a distance of approximately 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) at a resolution of about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) per pixel.<\/p>\n
Thebe resides at the outer edge of Jupiter\u2019s faint ring system and is believed to play a role in the formation of the planet\u2019s \u201cgossamer\u201d ring through the shedding of dust.<\/p>\n
While the SRU\u2019s primary function is to image star fields for navigation, its high sensitivity in low-light conditions makes it a powerful secondary science instrument. The SRU has previously been used to discover \u201cshallow lightning<\/a>\u201d in Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere and to image the planet\u2019s ring system.<\/p>\n A division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASA\u2019s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency\u2019s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.<\/p>\n