NASA delighted space enthusiasts by sharing a captivating close-up image of Jupiter’s moon Io, captured by the Juno spacecraft. The image was shared along with a caption detailing the spacecraft’s final close flyby of Io on February 3. Similar to the previous flyby on December 30, 2023, the latest pass occurred at a distance of approximately 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from Io, roughly equivalent to the distance between New York and Orlando, Florida.
Io, one of Jupiter’s four largest moons known as the Galilean moons, was first observed by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610. Positioned as the innermost of these four moons, Io ranks as the fourth largest moon in the solar system and holds immense fascination due to various attributes.
In the shared image, Io stands out against the expansive backdrop of space. Illuminated by sunlight from the right, with its night side softly lit by Jupiter’s reflected light, Io presents a mesmerizing spectacle. Notably, Io holds the distinction of being the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Its surface is characterized by sulfur and sulfur dioxide, and its intense volcanic activity stems from tidal heating generated by the gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter and its other large moons, Europa and Ganymede.
NASA underscored Io’s unique geological activity, stating, “Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter’s powerful gravity and the smaller pull from two neighboring moons, churning its insides and creating eruptions and lakes of lava that cover its surface.” The twin flybys conducted by Juno aim to unravel the workings of Io’s volcanic engine and ascertain the existence of a global magma ocean beneath its rocky, mountainous terrain.
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