Nasa Juno spacecraft, which is orbiting around Jupiter, recently flew past its moon Io and what it saw was something out of a sci-fi film. The spacecraft captured Io glowing from volcanic explosions that have battered its surface.
Data from Jovian orbiter reveals volcanic action on Jupiter's moon Io as seen in infrared and also sheds light on the fierce winds and cyclones of Jupiter's atmosphere.
Not only has the data helped develop a new model to better understand the fast-moving jet stream that encircles Jupiter’s cyclone-festooned north pole, it’s also revealed for the first time the subsurface temperature profile of Io, providing insights into the moon’s inner structure and volcanic activity.
“Everything about Jupiter is extreme. The planet is home to gigantic polar cyclones bigger than Australia, fierce jet streams, the most volcanic body in our solar system, the most powerful aurora, and the harshest radiation belts. As Juno’s orbit takes us to new regions of Jupiter’s complex system, we’re getting a closer look at the immensity of energy this gas giant wields,” Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno said.
Nasa combined the data from Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) to make the video.
The data suggests that about 10% of the moon’s surface has these remnants of slowly cooling lava just below the surface.
The result may help provide insight into how the moon renews its surface so quickly as well as how heat moves from its deep interior to the surface.
The team also determined that the most energetic eruption in Io’s history (first identified by the infrared imager during Juno’s Dec. 27, 2024, Io flyby) was still spewing lava and ash as recently as March 2. Juno.
The team’s recent findings also focus on the cyclones that haunt Jupiter’s north.
Years of data from the JunoCam visible light imager and JIRAM have allowed Juno scientists to observe the long-term movement of Jupiter’s massive northern polar cyclone and the eight cyclones that encircle it.
Source: India Today