Last Sunday, NASA's own Juno spacecraft was able to capture intricate shots of the solar system's most volcanically active world. In this near fly-by, the craft was able to find volcanic activity plumes erupting from the Moon's surface in real-time.
NASA Juno Spacecraft Captures Images of Io
This close encounter came as the second in a set of two near fly-bys meant to offer insight regarding the fiery mechanisms that take place under the surface of Io. These two encounters are the closest ones that humanity has had with Io in the past 22 years. The craft was surveying Io from a distance of around 930 miles.
Io is a moon that is tortured, as it is pushed and pulled by gravitational forces that compete. On one of its ends, the herculean mass of Jupiter tugs it closer to the planet, while its two lunar neighbors are at the other end. These moons are Ganymede and Europa.
Consequently, the gravitational push-and-pull leads to friction throughout the world as it gets pulled in one direction and then in another. Io gets heated up by the friction. This process fuels the moon's volcanic activity.
Roughly 400 active volcanoes sit on the surface of Io. In the recently taken images, some of these can be observed erupting into space.
Though Io is just a bit bigger compared to the Moon of Earth, its volcanoes are larger compared to anything present on Earth. It is capable of releasing lava fountains dozens of miles into the air. Its largest volcano, called Loki Patera, is roughly twice the size of Earth's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa.
By making use of Juno to look into Io, the scientists behind the craft are hopeful to determine how the planet and its own volcanoes are able to tick.
On Feb. 3, NASA’s #JunoMission made a second close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io, at a distance of 930 miles (1,500 km). The twin flybys are designed to provide new insight into how Io’s volcanic engine works and whether a global magma ocean exists under Io’s rocky surface. pic.twitter.com/K2KVAwYczl
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) February 4, 2024
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NASA Juno Spacecraft
Launched in August 2011, the Juno spacecraft started orbiting Jupiter on July 4, 2016. It is the first to peer below the dense clouds of the planet to shed light on the gas giant and the solar system's origins. In every orbit, the craft is taken into a loop that is highly elliptical. This enables it to closely tread around the poles of Jupiter before circling farther away.
Since 2016, it has been orbiting around Jupiter every 38 days. As it finished its original task list in 2021, Juno is currently in an extended mission phase. It will examine the whole Jovian system, which consists of Jupiter and its own moons, through September 2025 or until the craft reaches the end of its life. If it does not go through another extension phase, operators of the craft will deorbit it into the atmosphere of the massive gas giant.
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