For the second time in a short time, space probe Juno flew past Io, a moon of Jupiter, last weekend. It again resulted in countless photos. And one of them turns out to show something special.
The photo in question clearly shows two – quite extensive – plumes. According to NASA, they are the result of volcanic activity. It is still unclear whether the plumes come from one gigantic volcano or two volcanoes close to each other. This is currently being investigated further.
Flying flight
Juno took the photo with the two plumes last weekend, when it made a flyby of Io. During this flyby, the space probe approached the moon to a distance of about 1,500 kilometers.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS. Edited by: AndreaLuck © CC BY.
No. 2
It was already the second flyby of Io in a few months; In December, Juno also flew past the moon at a close distance. And that also resulted in fantastic photos, such as the one below.
Mountains, craters and lava flows, the editor of this photo calls it the best pictures ever of Io. Image: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS, edited by: Gorkem_K_Oz.
The flybys are intended to learn more about the volcanic activity on the moon. In particular, researchers want to find out whether there might be a magma-filled ocean beneath the moon’s surface that feeds the volcanoes.
Over Io
Io is slightly larger than our own moon and will therefore go down as the third largest moon that Jupiter has. In addition, Io is known as the most volcanically active celestial body in our solar system; Hundreds of volcanoes can be found on the surface, sometimes producing lava fountains thousands of kilometers high. The fact that the moon is so volcanically active can be traced back to Jupiter and its two largest moons: Europa and Ganymede. The latter two moons pull on Io in such a way that it moves in a fairly elliptical (oval-shaped) orbit around Jupiter. As a result, the distance between Jupiter and Io varies greatly. And with that Jupiter also alternately pulls strongly and less strongly on the moon. It results in a tidal effect. Of course we also know them here on earth; the moon pulls on the waters at sea, causing them to move in a certain direction and high and low tides alternate. Something similar happens on Io – due to Jupiter’s gravity – too. Only there is no water there, but only a solid surface. And that surface is pulled up by Jupiter – when the distance to Io is small – up to 100 meters, and then relaxes again when the distance increases. It is a process that generates a lot of heat and causes rocks just below the surface to liquefy. That liquid rock wants to rise and that is why the moon is so volcanically active.
This is not the first time that Juno has spotted volcanic plumes on Io. A few years ago, it also spotted – actually completely unexpectedly – a considerable plume above the pizza moon during a flyby of Jupiter. That plume (you can see it below) was immortalized by Jupiter from a distance of about 300,000 kilometers. Thanks to the flyby that Juno has now made past Io, we can see the volcanic plumes from much closer; At the time Juno captured it, the probe was only 2,200 miles (3,800 kilometers) from Io’s surface.
Image: NASA/SwRI/MSSS.
Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016. The main goal of the mission is to peek beneath Jupiter’s thick cloud cover and provide more insight into how the gas giant is constructed, formed and evolved. But there has always been a lot of attention for the gas giant’s moons. For example, there have been previous flybys of Ganymede and Europa. And Io has also enjoyed Juno’s attention. And the latter will remain the case for a while; because in the near future Juno will fly past the pizza moon – a nickname the moon owes to its pockmarked and colorful appearance – several more times. However, the distance to the moon is increasing; Juno passes Io during the next flyby at a distance of about 16,500 kilometers. But there is still plenty to see and learn from a greater distance, so we will undoubtedly see and hear more from pizza moon Io.
2024-02-07 10:01:54
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