The Juno spacecraft, belonging to the US space agency NASA, recently captured detailed images of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, known as the most volcanic body in the solar system. The spacecraft’s lenses observed volcanic activity on the moon’s surface as it flew above.
Io is often referred to as the “tormented moon” due to the significant gravitational forces it experiences from Jupiter and its neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede. These forces have a negative impact on its surface, causing heating and increased volcanic activity. Io houses approximately 400 active volcanoes, far more intense than those found on Earth.
The captured images reveal the size and intensity of the volcanic activity, with gas explosions and volcanic plumes reaching several kilometers into space, featuring the famous active volcano “Loki Patera.”
Since 2016, the Juno spacecraft has been completing orbits around Jupiter every 38 days. The mission aims to explore and uncover the mysteries of the entire Jupiter system, examining all its moons and rings through ongoing space maneuvers planned until September 2025.
