NASA’s Juno spacecraft is known for the extraordinary images of Jupiter it regularly takes with its JunoCam instrument and for its research of Jupiter’s exotic atmosphere.
But recently the spacecraft has also studied the moons of Jupiter, such as the frigid moon Europa or the largest moon in our solar system, Ganymede.
Juno begins its investigation of the intriguing volcanic moon Io, as the spacecraft is scheduled to perform a series of nine flybys of Io beginning Dec. 15, 930 miles from the lunar surface, Digitartlends reported.
Study of the moons of Jupiter
“With each flyby, we were able to glean a wealth of new information,” Juno principal investigator Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute said in a statement. it can do double duty by observing the moons of Jupiter.
Io is of particular interest because it is the most volcanic place in the solar system and also has the highest density and strongest surface gravity of any moon.
Previous research has shown that it contains more than 400 active volcanoes, which are triggered by tidal forces from Jupiter and its other moons causing friction to heat its interior.
Previous observations by Juno captured an infrared image, showing hot spots on the lunar surface.
Juno will study how Io’s volcanic activity interacts with Jupiter’s magnetosphere, as the planet has a strong magnetic field that surrounds it and interacts with its moons.
Juno’s observations of the moons also pave the way for future missions to study these objects in more depth, such as the European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moon Explorer or JUICE, and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission to Europe.
