After the last two flights of the Juno spacecraft that flew by the moon Io, NASA received some surprising information. Which has incredibly high mountains and a sparkling lava lake with islands in the middle of the sea
The groundbreaking data was released on April 17, 2024 by Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission, at the General Assembly of the European Geophysical Union.
Io, one of Jupiter's moons, is usually full of volcanoes and occasional eruptions have been detected, Bolton said, and some fascinating details have been discovered. It is a small island found in the middle of a lake of boiling lava on the surface of Io.
In addition, the equipment used to record the images can also provide information about some parts of Io's smooth, glassy surface. It is similar in appearance to obsidian or volcanic glass, which was used in making glass in ancient times.
Juno flew by Io during December. 2023 to February 2024, which collected images and data for about 1,500 km of Io's surface, including the northern part of Io. I also took pictures of Europe. It is another moon of Jupiter with an icy surface, very different from the very hot surface of Io.
The new image of Io obtained by Juno is a combination of images obtained from MWR (Microwave Radiometer) signals and the JunoCam camera.
Juno researchers named the new mountain Steeple Mountain, although NASA has not determined its height. But it is considered one of the tallest natural structures on Io's surface. It is expected to reach a height of about 16 kilometers.
NASA's website states: Io's surface is so riddled with volcanism and radiation that it is unlikely to be habitable. However, it is still considered a suitable experimental area for researchers to understand the evolution of the solar system. Io's surface is always changing. This is because lava flows over the rock layers and forms a new surface all the time.
source: gizmodo.com
Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS
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