Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 January 20 
Posted on 01/19/2003 11:34:28 PM PST by petuniasevan
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 January 20
Explanation: How tall are mountains on Jupiter's moon Io? One way to find out is to view them at sunset. Tall structures facing the Sun are then better-lit and cast long shadows. The above image highlights Mongibello Mons on the far left, a sharp ridge rising so high it would rank among the highest mountains on Earth. The violently changing surface of Io shows not only classic volcano cinder cones but also many thrust faults where the ground has fractured and created dramatic shear cliffs. The grayscale image was taken two years ago by the robot spacecraft Galileo currently orbiting Jupiter.
From the Solarviews website:
| Io Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Simon Marius & Galileo Galilei |
| Date of discovery | 1610 |
| Mass (kg) | 8.94e+22 |
| Mass (Earth = 1) | 1.4960e-02 |
| Equatorial radius (km) | 1,815 |
| Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) | 2.8457e-01 |
| Mean density (gm/cm^3) | 3.55 |
| Mean distance from Jupiter (km) | 421,600 |
| Rotational period (days) | 1.769138 |
| Orbital period (days) | 1.769138 |
| Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) | 17.34 |
| Orbital eccentricity | 0.004 |
| Orbital inclination (degrees) | 0.040 |
| Escape velocity (km/sec) | 2.56 |
| Visual geometric albedo | 0.61 |
| Mean surface temperature | -143°C |
| Magnitude (Vo) | 5.02 |
Io [EYE-oh or EE-oh] can be classified as one of the most unusual moons in our solar system. Active volcanism on Io was the greatest unexpected discovery at Jupiter. It was the first time active volcanoes had been seen on another body in the solar system. The Voyagers observed the eruption of nine volcanoes on Io altogether. There is also evidence that other eruptions occurred between Voyager encounters. Plumes from the volcanoes extend to more than 300 kilometers (190 miles) above the surface, with material being ejected at speeds up to a kilometer (.6 miles) per second.
Io's volcanoes are apparently due to heating of the satellite by tidal pumping. Io is perturbed in its orbit by Europa and Ganymede, two other large satellites nearby, then pulled back again into its regular orbit by Jupiter. This tug-of-war results in tidal bulging as great as 100 meters (330 feet) on Io's surface.
The temperature on Io's surface is about -143° C (-230° F); however, a large hot spot associated with a volcanic feature measured about 17° C (60° F). Scientists believe the hot spot may be a lava lake, although the temperature indicates the surface is not molten. This feature is reminiscent of lava lakes on Earth.
Io is composed primarily of rocky material with very little iron. Io is located within an intense radiation belt of electrons and ions trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field. As the magnetosphere rotates with Jupiter, it sweeps past Io and strips away about 1,000 kilograms (1 ton) of material per second. The material forms a torus, a doughnut shaped cloud of ions that glow in the ultraviolet. The torus's heavy ions migrate outward, and their pressure inflates the Jovian magnetosphere to more than twice its expected size. Some of the more energetic sulphur and oxygen ions fall along the magnetic field into the planet's atmosphere, resulting in auroras.
Io acts as an electrical generator as it moves through Jupiter's magnetic field, developing 400,000 volts across its diameter and generating an electric current of 3 million amperes that flows along the magnetic field to the planet's ionosphere.
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