After the last two flights of the Juno spacecraft that passed the moon Io, the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) received surprising information. which has incredibly high mountains and a beautiful lava lake with islands in the middle of the sea
The new data was released on April 17, 2024 by Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission, at the General Assembly of the European Geophysical Union.
Bolton said that Io, a moon of Jupiter’s moon, used to be full of volcanoes. Occasional eruptions were found, and amazing details were also found. That is, a small island was found in the middle of a boiling lava lake on the surface of Io.
In addition, the equipment used to record images can provide information that Some parts of Io’s surface are as smooth as glass. It is similar in appearance to obsidian or volcanic glass that was used to make glass in ancient times.
Juno flew by Io in December. 2023 to February 2024, which collected images and data about 1,500 km of Io’s surface, including the northernmost part of Io. He also took pictures of Europa. which is another moon to Jupiter It has an icy surface and is completely different from the very hot surface of Io.
The new image of Io obtained by Juno is a combination of images obtained from MWR (Microwave Radiometer) signals and the JunoCam camera.
Juno researchers named the new mountain Steeple Mountain, although NASA did not specify its height. But it is considered one of the tallest natural structures on Io’s surface. It is expected to be about 16 km high.
The NASA website says: The surface of Io is so full of volcanoes and radiation that it is unlikely to be inhabited. However, it is still considered a suitable experimental field for researchers to understand the evolution of the solar system. The surface of Io is constantly changing. This is because lava flows over the rock layers and creates a new surface all the time.
Source: gizmodo.com
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
