The explanation, of course, is due to Jupiter’s tremendous mass and gravity, which whips the satellite to an unvarying speed of 38,700 mph (62,300 km/h). But while our satellite requires four weeks to complete a circuit, Io does it in 421/2 hours. To appreciate this motion, consider that Io orbits Jupiter at nearly the same distance as the Moon orbits Earth. We’re excited to announce Astronomy magazine’s new Space and Beyond subscription box – a quarterly adventure, curated with an astronomy-themed collection in every box. It whizzes completely around Jove in just 13/4 days.īringing the universe to your door. He soon found that this moon moves so quickly, it visibly changes position in an hour or two. If we want to award it with yet another superlative, Io’s surface suffers the highest radiation of any known object, as well.Īnd yet, no hint of this extreme activity greeted Galileo Galilei on January 8, 1610, when he first laid eyes on Io through his crude, smudgy, 20-power telescope. More than 100 active volcanoes dot Io’s landscape, and at least a half-dozen are always erupting. Jupiter’s moon Io makes our 50 Weirdest list because it changes the fastest - its surface remakes itself more quickly than any other - and because it’s the most volcanically violent place known anywhere. "By observing it over time on multiple passes, we can watch how the volcanoes vary - how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, whether they are linked to a group or solo, and if the shape of the lava flow changes.The celestial object with the shortest name in the universe also ranks among its most peculiar, and not just because it resembles a pizza with anchovies. "Io is the most volcanic celestial body that we know of in our solar system," Bolton said in a statement. Speaking before Juno's last flyby of Io, which brought the craft to within 22,060 miles (35,500 km) of the Jovian moon’s surface, the mission's principal investigator Scott Bolton explained why the investigation of the volcanic body is heating up. These data, and those we collect on upcoming flybys, will be crucial to understanding the kind of volcanism that is occurring at Io." "Any volcanologist will tell you it is important to determine whether a lava lake has a stable source of material from an underground chamber. "The data show the lava could be bubbling to the surface in the northwest portion and creating a lava lake to the south and east," Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, Alessandro Mura, said. Massive, months-long volcanic eruption roils Jupiter's moon Io See Jupiter's volcanic moon Io glow red-hot in incredible images from NASA's Juno probe NASA's Juno probe finds giant swirling waves in Jupiter's magnetosphere Even before the last flyby of the volcanic moon on May 16, JIRAM, for instance, had been able to see hot spots across the Jovian satellite. JIRAM and Juno's other instruments are no strangers to Io's fiery temper. Lava from Io's volcanoes can erupt dozens of miles (or km) upward, according to NASA. The effect of turning Io into a planetary stress toy gives rise to extreme volcanism, which makes the moon the most volcanically active body in the solar system. This cosmic tug of war gives rise to incredible tidal forces on the moon, stretching and squeezing Io while causing its surface to undulate in and out, resulting in uneven ground that can vary in height by as much as 330 feet (100 m). The gas giant's tremendous gravitational influence pulls on Io, and as it does this, the moon is also gravitationally tugged on by its fellow Jovian moons Europa - the solar system’s largest moon - and Ganymede. Io’s volcanism comes from the somewhat torturous relationship it has with Jupiter, largest planet in our solar system. How Jupiter turns Io into a fiery stress toy The day after Sunday's close fly-by of Io will be an important one for Juno, too, as Monday (July 31) will mark the beginning of its third year of extended operations. After its launch in 2011, the Juno probe arrived at the Jovian system in 2016 and has since been investigating Jupiter and its moons.
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