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The coolest new space pictures: August 2024

This week, the European Space Agency’s Juice mission accomplished the first-ever “double” gravity assist when it flew by both Earth and the Moon. The spacecraft snapped photos of our planet as it sailed past.

Earth and the Moon from Juice
Earth and the Moon from Juice Earth and the Moon (small dot on the left) seen by ESA's Juice spacecraft as it slingshots toward Venus.Image: ESA / Juice / JMC

Juice has a long way to go before it gets to Jupiter, where it will study the moons Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa. The mission is designed to map these worlds up-close, investigate their subsurface oceans, and help determine whether they could host life. 

Juice approaches Earth
Juice approaches Earth Earth seen by ESA's Juice spacecraft as it slingshots toward Venus.Image: ESA / Juice / JMC

This flyby is the first of many that will set Juice on its way. Now that it has visited us, Juice will head toward Venus, then slingshot back to Earth twice more before finally building enough speed to catch up to Jupiter in 2031. There, it will become the first spacecraft ever to orbit a moon besides Earth’s.

Juice flies by the Moon
Juice flies by the Moon ESA's Juice spacecraft flies past the Moon as part of an orbital maneuver en route to Jupiter.Image: ESA / Juice / JMC

Below are some other images that caught our attention this month.

Jupiter from Juno's 62nd flyby
Jupiter from Juno's 62nd flyby Jupiter as seen by NASA's Juno spacecraft during its 62nd flyby of the giant planet.Image: Image data: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS. Image processing: Jackie Branc (CC BY)
NEOWISE's final image
NEOWISE's final image The final image transmitted by NASA's NEOWISE mission, taken shortly before it was decommissioned on Aug. 8, 2024. The starfield corresponds to part of the constellation Fornax.Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech / IPAC / UCLA
Caralis Chaos from above
Caralis Chaos from above Caralis Chaos, a region of Mars pocked with craters and the eroded basin of what was once the ancient Lake Eridania (bottom right). Image taken by ESA's Mars Express orbiter.Image: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin
ISS cupola
ISS cupola The cupola of the ISS as seen from the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module on board the station.Image: NASA
Perseverance leaving Bright Angel
Perseverance leaving Bright Angel NASA's Perseverance rover as it departed the "Bright Angel" region of Jezero Crater on Mars.Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Processed by Ed Mullen
Europa Clipper with solar panels
Europa Clipper with solar panels A view down the length of the Europa Clipper spacecraft's solar panels, taken during their alignment and installation at Kennedy Space Center.Image: NASA / Frank Michaux