NASA probe detects molten lava on the distant world of Io.
The most volcanic place in the solar system.
Jupiter's moon, Io, has become the focal point of NASA's Juno mission, which has conducted several close flybys of this volcanic satellite. The images captured between late 2023 and early 2024 have provided planetary scientists with deeper insights into Io's intense volcanic activity. The recent images, obtained by Juno's high-sensitivity Stellar Reference Unit camera, show flows of hot lava and new volcanic eruptions.
During the #JunoMission flybys, recent changes on Io's surface, as well as the glow of active lava, were detected. One example of this can be seen in an image taken on December 30, 2023, where active lava eruptions are highlighted with red arrows and circles. This area, known as the Zal Montes-Patera complex, consists of two mountains enclosing a dark "patera," resulting from fresh lava flows.
Juno captured these images from just 932 miles (1,500 kilometers) above Io's surface, achieving the best resolution of this moon to date. One of the images shows an elongated, curved emission feature that scientists believe to be an active lava channel. There's also an extensive lava flow named Tonatiuh, in honor of the Aztec deity, which measures 98 miles long and 11 miles wide.
Io's intense volcanic activity is due to the gravitational forces from Jupiter and its close moons, Europa and Ganymede, which subject it to continuous compression and expansion. According to NASA, despite these forces, new observations of Io's gravity suggest that it does not have a global magma ocean; instead, its approximately 400 volcanoes may have their own independent magma chambers. Juno's missions have revealed that this incandescent rock often reaches the surface, creating an extreme and constantly changing volcanic landscape.
