Watch the king of the planets turn on its throne

Watch as NASA holds a news conference to discuss the Juno mission and the probe’s planned 4 July arrival at Jupiter. The spacecraft will be the first to visit the gas giant in almost a decade.

Juno has beamed back amazing images of Jupiter’s poles taken during its recent close approach. It’s the first time we’ve seen one of the gas giant’s poles in detail since Pioneer 11 flew by in 1974.

Astronomers are using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study aurorae — stunning light shows in a planet’s atmosphere — on the poles of the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter. This observation program is supported by measurements made by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, shortly to arrive at the gas giant.