To prepare for the start of the mission, a team of astronomers also used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope to create infrared maps of Jupiter, such as the one we've embedded below. According to team leader Leigh Fletcher, "These maps will help set the scene for what Juno will witness in the coming months."

If you're now asking "What will Juno see in the coming months, anyway?" Well, NASA equipped the spacecraft with various infrared and microwave instruments. The observations it beams back will help the agency study its composition and magnetic fields, assess the presence of water and oxygen content, as well as figure out the planet's origin.

[Image credit: ESO/L. Fletcher]