05.27.25
JunoCam Io shot on JPL Instagram
JunoCam Io photo featured on NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Instagram
Meet Io, the most volcanic celestial body in our solar system.
The Juno spacecraft captured this view of Jupiter’s volcanic moon during its 57th close flyby in 2023. Mission scientists recently discovered that the volcanoes that cover this small moon are likely fueled by a chamber of roiling magma – not an underground ocean.
During a flyby in December 2024, one of Juno’s science instruments observed a volcanic hot spot in the southern hemisphere of the Jovian moon. Not only is the hot spot larger than Lake Superior here on Earth, but eruptions in this area are six times the total energy output of all the world’s power plants.
So, what fuels Io’s rage? Jupiter.
Io is extremely close to the massive gas giant and is locked in a tight elliptical orbit. As the distance varies, Jupiter’s gravitational pull on Io relentlessly squeezes the moon, causing frictional heating that melts portions of Io’s interior. The result? A seemingly endless series of lava plumes and ash venting into its atmosphere from an estimated 400 volcanoes on its surface.
#Jupiter #JunoMission #Io #volcano #moon #science #exploration #space #NASA #JPL
The Juno spacecraft captured this view of Jupiter’s volcanic moon during its 57th close flyby in 2023. Mission scientists recently discovered that the volcanoes that cover this small moon are likely fueled by a chamber of roiling magma – not an underground ocean.
During a flyby in December 2024, one of Juno’s science instruments observed a volcanic hot spot in the southern hemisphere of the Jovian moon. Not only is the hot spot larger than Lake Superior here on Earth, but eruptions in this area are six times the total energy output of all the world’s power plants.
So, what fuels Io’s rage? Jupiter.
Io is extremely close to the massive gas giant and is locked in a tight elliptical orbit. As the distance varies, Jupiter’s gravitational pull on Io relentlessly squeezes the moon, causing frictional heating that melts portions of Io’s interior. The result? A seemingly endless series of lava plumes and ash venting into its atmosphere from an estimated 400 volcanoes on its surface.
#Jupiter #JunoMission #Io #volcano #moon #science #exploration #space #NASA #JPL