Juice Steals Earth’s Momentum

This past Monday, Europe’s Juice spacecraft made its 3rd gravity-assist flyby, and 2nd of Earth, since its launch in 2023. This gravity assist imperceptibly changed the orbit of the much more massive Earth, while significantly accelerating the much less massive spacecraft.

Juice will require another gravity assist from Earth in 2029 to eventually reach the Jupiter system in 2031, where it will make 35 close flybys of Jupiter’s icy moons Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto before finally entering orbit around Ganymede in late 2034.

Saturn will reach opposition tomorrow (Sunday, October 4, 2026), meaning it will be opposite the Sun in the sky, so it rises at sunset, spends all night crossing the sky, and sets at sunrise.

The planet will also be closest to Earth and in a prime viewing spot for the big telescope at Northmoor Observatory, which is only open for three more Saturday nights this season: October 3 (tonight), 10, and 17, 2026.

If any of these nights have clear skies, consider stopping by to see Saturn’s rings – they never disappoint!

The Peoria Astronomical Society (PAS) not only maintains and operates Northmoor Observatory for the public, but also hosts meetings open to the public.

The next PAS meeting is this Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 7 p.m., right here in the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, and will feature a Zoom presentation by Tyler Ferree, an archaeologist at the Western Illinois Field Station of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey. Ferree’s talk is titled "Mississippian Archaeoastronomy: Exploring Alignments to the Moon and other Celestial Bodies at Mississippian Period sites in Illinois."

You can watch the presentation with PAS members here in the Planetarium, or join the Zoom meeting online here (Meeting ID: 843 8489 0044; Passcode: 230415).