A "bully planet" unmasked: Insights from the Juno mission

Space fans celebrated in July as NASA's Juno probe screamed toward Jupiter and slipped flawlessly into orbit around the monster planet after a 5-year journey from Earth. As science writers register for ScienceWriters2016, Juno is looping through two broad elliptical orbits, taking preliminary scientific measurements and preparing to move into tighter loops. Scott Bolton, principal investigator for the mission, will provide an update as Juno prepares to change orbits. Among the mission's goals are big questions: What lies beneath the cloudy facade of the great planet that was first to form in the solar system? Do you need a Jupiter to make an Earth? The Galileo probe's Jovian measurements upset early theories about the solar system's evolution; Bolton expects Juno to finally answer some questions about Jupiter's nature and role in solar system formation that have remained open ever since.

Social media hashtag: #bullyplanet