Monday, February 16, 2015

JUPITER'S VOLCANIC MOON



Io is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter. It is the fourth-largest moon, has the highest density of all the moons, and is the driest known object in the Solar System. It was named after the mythological character Io, a priestess of Hera who became one of Zeus's lovers.
With over 400 active volcanoes, Io is the most geologically active object in the Solar System

Several volcanoes produce plumes of sulfur and sulfur dioxide that climb as high as 500 km (300 mi) above the surface. Io's surface is also dotted with more than 100 mountains that have been uplifted by extensive compression at the base of Io's silicate crust. Some of these peaks are taller than Mount Everest.

The materials produced by this volcanism make up Io's thin, patchy atmosphere and Jupiter's extensive magnetosphere. Io's volcanic ejecta also produce a large plasma torus around Jupiter


Reference:
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_758.html
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/jovian_moons/io.html

Image credit: NASA/JPL
 

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