NASA's Star Tracker Camera Captures Rare Image of Uranus in Europa Clipper's Field of View.
In a stunning achievement, the Star Tracker camera on board NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has captured an image of the planet Uranus within its field of view. The unique shot was taken on November 5, 2025, while the spacecraft was experimenting with one of its stellar reference units. The star-tracker cameras are designed to maintain the spacecraft's orientation and provide a means to measure its position in space.
The image shows Uranus as a large dot near the left side of the frame, situated within the field of view that represents just 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft. This rare occurrence highlights the incredible precision of the Star Tracker camera system.
To put this achievement into perspective, Europa Clipper was approximately 2 billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers) away from Uranus when the image was captured. The spacecraft is currently en route to the Jupiter system and will make about 50 flybys of Europa in its mission.
The success of the Star Tracker camera system demonstrates the cutting-edge technology at play with this ambitious mission. By studying the icy moon Europa, scientists hope to uncover clues about the possibility of life existing beyond Earth.
As part of its research, Europa Clipper aims to investigate the composition and geology of Europa, as well as its surface interactions with the ocean beneath its ice shell. This crucial information will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet. For more information on this groundbreaking mission, visit the official NASA website.
In a stunning achievement, the Star Tracker camera on board NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has captured an image of the planet Uranus within its field of view. The unique shot was taken on November 5, 2025, while the spacecraft was experimenting with one of its stellar reference units. The star-tracker cameras are designed to maintain the spacecraft's orientation and provide a means to measure its position in space.
The image shows Uranus as a large dot near the left side of the frame, situated within the field of view that represents just 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft. This rare occurrence highlights the incredible precision of the Star Tracker camera system.
To put this achievement into perspective, Europa Clipper was approximately 2 billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers) away from Uranus when the image was captured. The spacecraft is currently en route to the Jupiter system and will make about 50 flybys of Europa in its mission.
The success of the Star Tracker camera system demonstrates the cutting-edge technology at play with this ambitious mission. By studying the icy moon Europa, scientists hope to uncover clues about the possibility of life existing beyond Earth.
As part of its research, Europa Clipper aims to investigate the composition and geology of Europa, as well as its surface interactions with the ocean beneath its ice shell. This crucial information will help scientists better understand the astrobiological potential for habitable worlds beyond our planet. For more information on this groundbreaking mission, visit the official NASA website.
! I mean, can you even imagine being that close to Uranus? 
It's crazy thinking about how much tech went into making this happen. The Star Tracker camera system is seriously impressive - I've seen some cool stuff on YouTube, but this takes the cake 
. And wow, 0.1% of the full sky... it's mind-blowing to think about the precision required for that shot 
. This mission is gonna be huge, can't wait to see what other discoveries they make! 
. I mean, they were 2 billion miles away from Uranus and still got a pic of it... that's just mind-blowing 
#AstronomyFacts #EuropaClipperMission
. I'm loving the cutting-edge tech they're using on this mission 
. The potential for discovering life beyond Earth is so exciting 
! Scientists are gonna be super busy analyzing all that data 
#Astrobiology #SpaceExploration
. NASA's got some serious talent behind this mission 
#NASArockstar #SpaceFans
so I'm thinking what's the deal with Europa Clipper? They're like, trying to figure out if we're alone in the universe and all that jazz. It's a big question but I guess it's worth exploring... those space pics of Uranus though are straight fire 
I mean who would've thought you could capture an image of Uranus from 2 billion miles away? 
! Like, they're 2 billion miles away from the planet and still managed to get a solid shot of it 
!
, they're trying to figure out if there's life beyond Earth and I am HERE FOR IT 
. This is gonna be so cool! NASA u got this 
. It's like the camera is basically having an epic staring contest with the stars. The fact that it's 0.1% of the full sky around the spacecraft just shows how precise their tech is 
. I mean, who needs a vacation when you can have a spacecraft orbiting another planet while taking selfies with distant stars? 
And let's not forget about the real reason we're doing this - to maybe find out if there's life beyond Earth 
.
. And it all starts with this incredible achievement by the Star Tracker camera system 
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. But, at the same time, it's not like Uranus is some hard-to-reach location or anything. It's just one of those big ol' planets in our solar system 
. I mean, who doesn't want to know if there's life out there? It's a pretty exciting prospect