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Jan 30, 2022
The first active volcanoes outside the Earth were discovered on Io, one of the four so-called Galilean satellites of Jupiter. The honor of the discoverer in 1979 fell to Linda Morabito, an engineer at NASA's California Jet Propulsion Laboratory. When analyzing images taken by the Voyager 1 probe for spacecraft navigation, Linda Morabito discovered a cloud 270 kilometers high above the surface of Io.
The cloud was later proven to be of volcanic origin. This was the first time that active volcanism has been detected outside the Earth. A more detailed study of the volcanoes on Io was carried out using the Galileo robotic interplanetary station, which operated in orbit around Jupiter from 1995 to 2003.
The colorful appearance of Io is the result of the work of volcanoes that eject various substances to the surface: silicates, pyroxenes, sulfur, sulfur dioxide and others. Sulfur dioxide hoarfrost covers almost the entire surface of Io, painting it in various shades of yellow and green. The surface of Io is dotted with numerous depressions called "patera". These are irregularly shaped volcanic craters with jagged edges. The name is borrowed from Latin, where it means a flat vessel for drinking or offering.
Lava flows are a characteristic feature of Io. Magma erupts to the surface through cracks in the bottom of the patera, filling vast spaces on the moon's surface. During a major eruption, lava flows several tens or even hundreds of kilometers long can form, consisting mainly of magnesium-rich basaltic lavas.
Io is a geologically active object in the solar system with more than 400 active volcanoes. Such extreme geological activity is due to the proximity to the giant planet Jupiter. The bowels of Io are heated by periodic tidal deformations arising from its gravitational interaction with Jupiter and other Galilean satellites.
Source: Moscow Planetarium.
Related links:
ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/33915/
Moscow Planetarium: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/moskovskiy-planetariy/
Astronomy: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/astronomija/
Jupiter: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/jupiter/
Images, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/Moscow Planetarium/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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