Home / Science / Jupiter Shrinks: NASA Study Reveals New Size
Jupiter Shrinks: NASA Study Reveals New Size
5 Feb
Summary
- Jupiter is now understood to be slightly smaller and flatter.
- New NASA Juno orbiter data challenges decades-old measurements.
- The gas giant is estimated to be losing up to two centimeters annually.
New findings based on data from NASA's Juno orbiter suggest that Jupiter is smaller and more "squashed" than astronomers had previously calculated. For over fifty years, scientific understanding of the gas giant's dimensions relied on older observations. However, recent analysis of Juno's flybys has led researchers to revise these figures.
The study, published in Nature Astronomy, reveals Jupiter is about five miles narrower at its equator and 15 miles flatter at its poles than earlier measurements indicated. This marks the first significant update to Jupiter's size and shape data since the 1970s, prompting a need to update scientific textbooks.
Further research indicates that Jupiter has been steadily shrinking throughout its existence, possibly losing up to two centimeters annually. This contraction is attributed to the planet's gradual cooling process, which causes it to lose energy and contract over time. The Juno spacecraft's primary mission, which ended in 2025, provided vital data for these new conclusions.
