Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper
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Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) is an instrument on the Juno spacecraft in orbit of the planet Jupiter. It is an image spectrometer and was contributed by Italy.[1] Similar instruments are on ESA Rosetta, Venus Express, and Cassini-Huygens missions.[1] The primary goal of JIRAM is to probe the upper layers of Jupiter's atmosphere down to pressures of 5–7 bars (72–102 pound/square inch) at infrared wavelengths in the 2–5 μm interval using an imager and a spectrometer.[1] Jupiter's "hot spots" and auroral regions are targeted for study.[2]
It is hoped H+
3 ions, ammonia, and phosphine can be mapped.[3] The ion of Hydrogen H+
3 is rare on Earth, but is one of the most common ions in the universe and known as protonated molecular hydrogen or the trihydrogen cation.[4]
Despite the intense magnetosphere of Jupiter, the JIRAM is expected to be operational for at least the first eight orbits.[5]
References
- 1 2 3 "Juno - Spacecraft: Instruments - JIRAM". Juno.wisc.edu. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ↑ "JIRAM, the image spectrometer in the near infrared on board the Juno mission to Jupiter. - PubMed - NCBI". Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2016-02-17.
- ↑ P. Irwin (2009). "Giant Planets of Our Solar System: Atmospheres, Composition, and Structure". Books.google.com. p. 352.
- ↑ Carrington, Alan; R. McNab, Iain (1989). "The infrared predissociation spectrum of triatomic hydrogen cation (H3+)". Accounts of Chemical Research. 22 (6): 218–222. doi:10.1021/ar00162a004.
- ↑ "Understanding Juno's Orbit: An Interview with NASA's Scott Bolton". Universe Today. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
External links
- Juno JIRAM website
- Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper - Lunar and Planetary Institute
- Juno instruments (Adobe Flash)