NASA’s Juno spacecraft, during close flybys of Jupiter’s moon Io, captured stunning imagery that revealed two remarkable features: a towering mountain and an eerily smooth lake of cooling lava. These discoveries shed light on the moon’s volcanic activity and unique landscape.
Artist’s concept of Loki Patera on Io using data captured by Juno. (Image Credit: NASA).
Key Highlights
- Juno’s close encounters with Io provided the first-ever close-up images of the moon’s northern latitudes.
- Juno’s data transformed into animations also showcased Loki Patera, a 200-kilometer-long lava lake.
- The lake’s surface, captured in specular reflections, appeared as smooth as glass, reminiscent of obsidian glass formed by volcanic activity on Earth.
New Delhi: Researchers have used data gathered from two recent flybys of the Jovian moon of Io by NASA’s Juno Spacecraft to reveal the hellish landscape of the volcanic moon. There are over 400 active volcanoes on the surface of Io, with the spacecraft revealing dramatic features such as a glass-smooth lake of cooling lava and a craggy mountain spire. The findings were revealed during the European Geophysical Union Assembly in Vienna.
Juno approached within 1,500 kilometres of the surface of Io in December 2023 and February 2024. Maps generated using data gathered by the microwave radiometer on Juno reveals that Io has a surface that is relatively smooth compared to the other Galilean moons of Jupiter, and that the poles are colder than the middle latitudes.
Principal investigator of Juno, Scott Bolton said, “Io is simply littered with volcanoes, and we caught a few of them in action. We also got some great close-ups and other data on a 200-kilometer-long (127-mile-long) lava lake called Loki Patera. There is amazing detail showing these crazy islands embedded in the middle of a potentially magma lake rimmed with hot lava. The specular reflection our instruments recorded of the lake suggests parts of Io’s surface are as smooth as glass, reminiscent of volcanically created obsidian glass on Earth.”
Revealing the secrets of Jupiter
Apart from providing fascinating insights into the geological features on Io, the spacecraft is also revealing the secrets of Jupiter. The spacecraft is flying closer to the north pole of the gas giant with every pass, providing high resolution data on the polar cyclons on Jupiter. Comparison of the poles has illuminated the fact that not all cyclones are created equal. The central polar cyclone on Jupiter for example, has a weak microwave signature compared to the surrounding cyclones. The Juno team hopes to create an increasingly detailed three dimensional map of the polar cyclones.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
