The Juno probe recorded a volcanic eruption on Io
The Juno probe spotted the eruption on December 21. Four cameras watched the pi for more than an hourótoad dustóin ejected into space.
Io is Jupiter’s third largest moon and the fourth largest in the entire Solar System. It is slightly larger than Earth’s moon. It is the most active volcanic site in our planetary system. The surface of this moon is dotted with still erupting volcanoes and huge lava lakes.
– We knew we were entering new territory by conducting a polar observation campaignóat Io, but no one expected us to be so lucky as to capture an active eruption and shooting into space from the moon’s surface piódust toadów – said Scott Bolton, head of theówny scientist of the Juno mission. – It is a New Year’s gift to us – added.
The fruit of the observation campaign are pictures of eruptions on Io. Detailedólnteresting image showing the volcanic pióToad straddling the exact line between Jupiter’s day and night moons. – The moon‘s surface is already in shadow, but its high piódust toadów reflects sunlight, as does góry and clouds on Earth still „shine” after sunset,” explained Candice Hansen-Koharcheck in charge of the Juno probe’s cameras.
Photo taken from a distance of about 300,000. kilometerów. Photo. NASA/SwRI/MSSS
The image shows the glow of activity from several volcanoesóIo, including the piótoad after the eruption, whichówhich is additionally marked. Photo. NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI
Io’s volcanic activity has been known to mankind since the 1970s. last century, since the first probes flew near it. It is stimulated by Jupiter’s powerful gravity, która causes moon to deform. The amplitude of these deformations can be as much as 100 metersów.
Juno probe launched from Earth in 2011 roki. It entered the orbit of the gas giant in August 2016. According to the original plan, after dwóch laps was to be followed by an orbit tightening maneuver and the probe was to be in a 14-day orbit. However, due to a malfunction related to the helium valves in the main engineównym of the probe, NASA engineers decided not to undertake this risky maneuver and Juno is currently in an extended 53-day orbit and will stay there until the end of the mission.
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. Its mass is two and pół times the mass of all the other planets in our system. The gas giant has 79 known moonsów. The planet is covered by several layers of clouds, które arranged in characteristic stripes visible from our planet. A day on Jupiter lasts about 10 hours.
