NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Captures Detailed Image of Jupiter’s Moon Thebe

Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.

NASA’s Juno spacecraft captured detailed images of Thebe, Jupiter’s second largest inner moon, during a close approach on May 1, 2026. The photos were taken from an approximate distance of 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) with a resolution of about 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) per pixel using the spacecraft’s Stellar Reference Unit (SRU). Thebe orbits at the outer edge of Jupiter’s faint ring system and is considered a major source of dust contributing to the planet’s gossamer ring.

The SRU, primarily designed to image star fields for navigation, has proved highly effective as a science instrument due to its high sensitivity in low-light conditions. It has previously aided in the discovery of shallow lightning in Jupiter’s atmosphere and in imaging the planet’s ring system. The Juno mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, overseen by the Marshall Space Flight Center and Science Mission Directorate.