The Juno spacecraft to make a historic flyby of Jupiter’s moon

The Juno spacecraft is embarking on a historic flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io, marking the closest encounter with the moon in over two decades. The mission aims to collect essential data to unravel the mysteries of Io’s volcanic activities in space.

Juno’s principal investigator, Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, stated, “By combining data from this flyby with our previous observations, the Juno science team is studying how Io’s volcanoes vary.” The team is particularly interested in understanding the frequency of eruptions, the brightness and temperature of volcanic activity, changes in lava flow shapes, and the connection between Io’s activity and the flow of charged particles in Jupiter’s magnetosphere.

The spacecraft is set to pass within approximately 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from Io’s surface on Saturday, December 30. During previous encounters in May and July, Juno closely observed Io’s volcanic activity from distances ranging between 6,830 miles (11,000 kilometers) to over 62,100 miles (100,000 kilometers). These observations also provided the first views of Io’s north and south poles.

In addition to Io, Juno has conducted close flybys of Jupiter’s icy moons Ganymede and Europa. The upcoming close flybys in December and February will further investigate the source of Io’s extensive volcanic activity, explore the possibility of a magma ocean beneath its crust, and examine the influence of tidal forces from Jupiter on the moon.

Juno’s next close flyby of Io is scheduled for February 3, 2024, where it will once again approach within about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the moon’s surface.