Io – Page 2 – My WordPress Site

A massive hotspot — larger the Earth’s Lake Superior — can be seen just to the right of Io’s south pole in this annotated image taken by the JIRAM infrared imager aboard NASA’s Juno on Dec. 27, 2024, during the spacecraft’s flyby of the Jovian moon. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains & Lava Tubes, Io, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds

Juno Spots The Most Powerful Volcanic Activity On Io To Date

by Keith CowingJanuary 29, 2025January 29, 2025

The north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io was captured by NASA’s Juno during the spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023. Data from recent flybys is helping scientists understand Io’s interior. Credit: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains & Lava Tubes, Io, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography

How Io Became The Most Volcanic Body In Our Solar System

by Keith CowingDecember 26, 2024

A schematic diagram of the sulfur cycle on the icy Galilean moons. Not all processes operate on all moons and the circles with E, G, and C indicate which processes seem to be more restricted to Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, respectively. Ice radiolysis happens on all icy surfaces and reactions of radiolytically produced H2SO4 can transform brine salts to sulfates. Only for Europa and Callisto the subsurface ocean is likely to be in contact with the rocky ocean floor but not for Ganymede, where massive dense ice layers prevents ongoing exchange of the subsurface with the silicates. The ocean compositions seem to be all quite similar in the beginning, and Ganymede’s ocean might be the oldest ur-ocean remaining since isolation by dense ice. Subsurface oceans on Europa and Callisto can evolve depending on silicate mantle outgassing into the oceans which may increase salinity over time. On Europa acidification from radiolytically produced H2SO4 may happen, which could lead to an ocean with compositional gradients and pH and development of a halocline. This diagram does not claim completeness and is an attempt to summarize observations, ideas and interpretations. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Neptune, Saturn, Titan, Uranus

Sulfur in the Giant Planets, their Moons, and Extrasolar Gas Giant Planets

by Keith CowingOctober 18, 2024October 18, 2024

Panel A: crust age and thickness for 15 different zones of Loki Patera. Panel B: location of the zones chosen for the analysis. The color of the zones is coded according to the age of the crust, as indicated by the color bar to the right. The reference time for the crust age is set to the final observation epoch: April 9, 2024. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Missions & Hardware

Volcano World Survey: Observations Of Loki Patera By Juno During Close Flybys

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2024October 15, 2024

Europa, Ganymede, Io, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware

Planetary Radio Interferometry and Doppler Experiment as an Operational Component of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Mission

by Keith CowingAugust 29, 2024August 28, 2024

The Milky Way appears above Earth’s bright atmospheric glow in this Aug. 23, 2025, photograph from the International Space Station as it soared 261 miles above southern Iran at approximately 12:54 a.m. local time. The camera was configured for low light and long duration settings. -- NASA/ESA larger image

Astrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains & Lava Tubes, Io, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Missions & Hardware

Comparing NASA Discovery and New Frontiers Class Mission Concepts for the Io Volcano Observer (IVO)

by Keith CowingAugust 20, 2024August 20, 2024

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Caves, Craters, Mountains & Lava Tubes, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Missions & Hardware

Volcano World Update: Lava Lakes On Io

by Keith CowingJune 27, 2024June 27, 2024

MGS-1 Mars Global Simulant -- University of Central Florida

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography

New Telescope Images Of Volcano World Io

by Keith CowingJune 7, 2024June 7, 2024

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Radiation

Energy And Temperature Dependencies For Electron-induced Sputtering From H2O-ice: Implications For The Icy Galilean Moons

by Keith CowingMay 9, 2024May 9, 2024

Terrestrial planet with thin atmosphere -- NASA

Callisto, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Contribution Of PRIDE VLBI Products To The Joint JUICE-Europa Clipper Moons’ Ephemerides Solution

by Keith CowingMay 2, 2024May 27, 2024