![]() ![]() Io (top right) erupting with three volcanic plumes and Europa (bottom left) as they move past each other Image adapted from: NASA/Johns Hopkins University APL/Southwest Research Institute (used with permission) Europa However, scientists believe that water may have been present on Io early in its formation, and there is a possibility that some form of life may exist underground. Io is also bathed in huge amounts of radiation from Jupiter and there’s no evidence of any water. And although Io’s atmosphere is one of the thickest of all the moons in the solar system, it’s still relatively thin-Earth’s atmosphere is around 200 million times denser. ![]() However, for all its tidal heating, the surface of Io is around –143 ☌. Io is the most volcanically active moon in our solar system, with plumes of material reaching up to 300 kilometres from the surface, spewing out masses of what is possibly either silicate rock or sulfur-rich material into space. The uneven gravitational pull causes the moon to bulge, then bounce back, causing friction inside Io’s interior, driving its intense volcanic activity. As Io orbits around Jupiter, its oval-shaped orbit means that Jupiter’s extremely strong gravitational pull is stronger at some times during the orbital path, and weaker at others. Gravitational pulls from Jupiter’s next two moons, Europa and Ganymede, have tugged Io’s orbit into an oval shape. Io’s vigorous dynamic activity comes from something called ‘tidal flexing’. Io is the closest moon to Jupiter, and a veritable hotspot of volcanic activity. Image adapted from: NASA (used with permission) Io An artist’s impression of the Galilean moons of Jupiter. Nevertheless, they are all tantalising prospects for finding life beyond Earth. All four moons are extremely cold, and all have thin atmospheres. In addition to studies of Jupiter and the elements surrounding it, IoIO is observing the sodium "tail" that follows Mercury and planets outside the solar system, exoplanets, as they transit the face of their stars.Although some have speculated that life may be possible within the atmosphere of Jupiter itself, more likely candidates are the four icy Galilean moons around it. More IoIO units could also provide more time to cover Jupiter's highly dynamic Io plasma torus and sodium nebula. These additional IoIO copies in different global locations could help astronomers continue monitoring the Jovian moon from Earth during gaps enforced by unfavorable weather conditions. "It would be great to see another IoIO come online before Juno gets to Jupiter next December." Almost all of the parts used to build IoIO are available at a high-end camera shop or telescope store," Morgenthaler said. "One of the exciting things about these observations is that they can be reproduced by almost any small college or ambitious amateur astronomer. Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is emitting strange radio waves and NASA's Juno probe is listening Mysterious dunes on Jupiter's volcanic moon Io may be formed by lava NASA probe to inspect the solar system's most active volcanic world, Jupiter's Io This plasma can be traced back to Io's volcanic activity, meaning that Juno could tell astronomers if the volcanic outburst of Fall 2022 had a different chemical makeup than other Io eruptions.īefore Juno can get close enough for such an investigation, however, Morgenthaler is hoping more versions of IoIO could be up and running across the globe. Juno is set for a close flyby of Io in December 2023 and its instruments are sensitive to plasma around Jupiter. The IoIO observations could be followed up by NASA's Juno spacecraft which has been orbiting the gas giant since 2016. "This could be telling us something about the composition of the volcanic activity that produced the outburst or it could be telling us that the torus is more efficient at ridding itself of material when more material is thrown into it," Morgenthaler said in a statement. The image was produced by the Planetary Science Institute's Io Input/Output observatory (IoIO) (Image credit: Jeff Morgenthaler, PSI) A coronagraph image of a sodium outburst caused by Io's volcanic eruption. ![]()
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