Nasa’s Juno finds Jupiter is a tiny bit smaller than previously thought

NASA's Juno spacecraft has provided the most precise measurements to date of Jupiter's size and shape, revealing it is slightly smaller than previously thought. The new data shows Jupiter's equatorial diameter is 142,976 km, about 8 km less than earlier measurements taken by Voyager and Pioneer in the 1970s. Similarly, the polar diameter is now measured at 133,684 km, approximately 24 km smaller than previous estimates. These findings indicate that Jupiter is more flattened than scientists originally believed, with a 7% difference between its equatorial and polar diameters. The updated measurements are crucial for gaining a more complete understanding of Jupiter's complex interior structure.

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