Watch: JUICE probe clicks photo of hot plasma in radiation belts around Earth

The JUICE probe en route to Jupiter and its moons has clicked a high-definition picture of the Earth's radiation belt. The European Space Agency's spacecraft tested its Jovian Energetic Neutrals and Ions (JENI) instrument during a flyby of Earth.

JUICE slingshot itself towards Venus using our planet's gravity, from where it will use Venus's gravity to travel towards the Jupiter system.

Between August 19 and August 20, the spacecraft clicked extremely clear images of the Earth's radiation belts. These are groups of charged particles trapped in the Earth's magnetic field.

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"As soon as we saw the crisp, new images, high fives went around the room," Matina Gkioulidou, deputy lead of JENI at APL, said in a statement.

"It was clear we had captured the vast ring of hot plasma encircling Earth in unprecedented detail, an achievement that has sparked excitement for what is to come at Jupiter."

The probe launched on April 14, 2023, aims to study Jupiter's atmosphere and how it affects its moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. Some of these moons are believed to host liquid water beneath their icy crusts.

Also Read:JUICE snaps Earth, with moon lurking on the sides, as Uranus photobombs

The JUICE spacecraft will study the moons to know whether they host the elements essential for life.

The picture clicked by JUICE shows plasma swirling in the radiation belt like a halo, stretching out several times the Earth's radius around the planet. Earth has two radiation belts which are also known as the Van Allen radiation belts and create a donut-like region around the planet.

They contain electrons and protons trapped by the planet's magnetic field. The two belts are situated at different altitudes. The inner radiation belt is between 600 and 7,500 miles above Earth, while the outer belt sits about 8,000 to 37,000 miles above the Earth's surface.

"The richness of the data from our deep dive through the magnetosphere is astounding. JENI's image of the entire system we just flew through was the cherry on top. It's a powerful combination we will exploit in the Jovian system."

Notably, once the probe reaches Jupiter, JENI will be used to study the magnetosphere of the largest planet in our solar system.

JUICE will undergo a second gravity assist after reaching Venus in August 2025. It will return to Earth and will have two more gravity assists in 2026 and 2029. It is scheduled to reach Jupiter in 2031.