NASA’s Juno spacecraft has completed its close flyby of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, capturing astonishing new images of the moon’s fiery volcanic surface. The flyby on December 30th brought Juno within just 645 miles of Io’s surface – the closest any spacecraft has come to the solar system’s most volcanically active body in over 20 years.
Juno Spacecraft Gets Up-Close Look at Io’s Extreme Volcanism
Juno’s instruments have obtained valuable data and images that reveal Io’s violent volcanic activity and interactions with Jupiter’s intense magnetic field in unprecedented detail. Early images show lava spewing out of huge fissure eruptions crisscrossing Io’s tortured surface, along with towering plumes reaching over 100 miles above the surface.
During the flyby, all of Juno’s cameras and scientific instruments were fully operational and pointing towards Io, storing as much data as possible before rapidly moving away from Jupiter’s radiation belts. The close approach brought Juno over Io’s north polar region, allowing the collection of critical data and images to decode the moon’s volcanic mysteries.
NASA project scientist for Juno, Heidi Becker exclaimed, “The data collection was flawless, every instrument worked perfectly and the angular momentum slingshot has placed Juno on a perfect trajectory for future science operations.” She added, “It will take months to process all of the radical Io data collected.”
Extreme Tidal Heating Drives Io’s Colossal Volcanic Eruptions
Unlike Earth’s internal heated volcanoes, Io’s hundreds of raging volcanoes are the result of extreme tidal heating caused by its orbit in a gravitational tug-of-war between Jupiter and other large Jovian moons. This intense tidal flexing melts Io’s interior, fueling superhot lava eruptions and giant plumes reaching over 250 miles high – the most spectacular volcanic activity in our Solar System. During previous Voyager and Galileo spacecraft flybys, active plumes and surface changes were observed over months or years.
The new Juno flyby images capture several massive lava eruptions and plumes in action, including rare views of short-lived ‘outburst’ eruptions firing fountains of lava dozens of miles above Io’s surface. Planetary scientist Candice Hansen-Koharcheck noted, “We can already see totally new short-term volcanic activity and changes compared to Galileo’s last flyby in 2000.” She added, “Detailed analysis over coming weeks and months will unravel many puzzles about how Io’s extreme volcanism actually works.”
| Eruption Type | Height | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lava fountains | 10-31 miles | Hours to days |
| Giant plumes | 75-250 miles | Months to years |
What’s Next for Juno and Io Observations
With the successful Io flyby complete, the Juno spacecraft will continue orbiting Jupiter on a new trajectory, before entering a closer polar orbit in January 2023. Additional Io and other Jovian moon flybys are planned during Juno’s extended mission until at least 2025, including two extremely close 400 mile passes.
The torrent of Juno Io flyby data transmitted back to Earth will keep planetary scientists busy for months or years, unravelling the mysteries of Io’s extreme geophysical processes and interactions with Jupiter’s hostile radiation environment. Insights will improve models of volcanic activity and interior heating for Io and other bodies across the Solar System and beyond.
Candy Hansen concluded, “This amazing data will rewrite the textbooks on Io and volcanic moons. And shows why long duration Jupiter system exploration is absolutely crucial to illuminate extreme planetary science processes.”
Alongside the recent Europa Clipper and LUVOIR telescope projects, there are discussions of future dedicated orbiters for Io and the Jovian system moons after Juno. Their challenging environments and influences on Jupiter’s climate are still poorly understood. Missions combining multiple satellites would obtain crucial stereo data to probe the 3D dynamics shaping the exotic Jovian system, possibly unlocking secrets of planetary formation and evolution across the cosmos.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
