Up Close to Jupiter's Moon Io
Explanation:
Above is the
highest resolution photograph yet taken of the
Solar System's strangest moon.
The surface of
Jupiter's moon
Io is home to
violent volcanoes
that are so active they turn the entire moon inside out.
The
above photograph shows a region four kilometers across and
resolves features only five
meters across.
Many revealed details are not well understood.
In general, the bright areas are higher terrain
than the darker areas, but some areas of the surface appear
eroded by an unknown process.
Although the parts of
Io's surface
near erupting volcanoes are hot enough to melt rock, most of
Io has cooled well
below the freezing point of
water.
The
robot spacecraft Galileo during its most
recent flyby of
Io took the above image in 2000 February.
Tomorrow's picture: X-Class Flares
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
