Io has 266 active volcanic hotspots linked by a global magma ocean, finds study
Jupiter’s Io stands apart from the solar system’s other moons, with its numerous volcanoes and its surface dominated by lava flows. Io’s surface volcanism was confirmed in 1979 when the Voyager spacecraft imaged it, but its volcanic nature isn’t duplicated anywhere else in our system. Tidal heating is behind the moon’s eruptive nature, driven by Jupiter’s powerful gravity, and by resonance with other moons. But is there a magma ocean inside Io?
A final answer to that question has been elusive, but new research supports the idea of a magma ocean.
NASA’s Juno mission has shifted its focus from Jupiter to the gas giant’s moons, beginning with the volcanic Io. It’s flybys are getting increasingly closer to the unique moon, and the decreasing distance is giving the spacecraft a better and better look. It’s identified 266 active volcanoes, and together, they’re evidence of a vast global ocean of magma according to new research.Hey ASO people!
“how does Juno report back to earth about what it sees”
“it uses the Io Tower”
@big-overload-little-derez Did…..did you just turn this into a Tron joke?
Because that was fucking BRILLIANT.
Ahahaha thank you
I turn everything into a Tron joke, I am a pattern recognition program and apparently my favorite patterns to recognize are tron jokes and and I can’t help it