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Juno measures hidden heat beneath Jupiter's moon Io
NDTV··2 Aug
NASA's Juno spacecraft has measured subsurface heat on Jupiter's moon Io for the first time, using its microwave radiometer during flybys in December 2023 and February 2024 from about 930 miles away. Data published in JGR Planets show temperatures rising roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit just a few feet below the surface, offering new insight into the volcanically active moon.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Space enthusiasts tracking planetary science gain the first direct measurement of subsurface heat on one of the solar system's most volcanically active bodies.
- Anyone following NASA missions can see how Juno's microwave radiometer continues delivering data years after its primary Jupiter mission ended.
- Students interested in planetary geology now have fresh evidence linking Io's surface volcanism to heat stored just beneath the crust.
What's Happening
- NASA's Juno spacecraft measured subsurface heat on Jupiter's moon Io for the first time using its microwave radiometer during flybys in December 2023 and February 2024.
- The spacecraft passed within about 930 miles of Io, detecting temperatures rising roughly 40 degrees Fahrenheit just a few feet below the surface.
- Findings published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Planets offer new insight into how heat moves through Io's volcanic crust.
Heat Rising Just Feet Below Io's Surface
- Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with hundreds of active volcanoes driven by tidal heating from Jupiter's gravity.
- Juno's extended mission has included multiple close flybys of the Galilean moons, adding Io to a list that already includes Europa and Ganymede.
- Previous observations relied on infrared and visible imagery of surface eruptions, but could not directly measure heat stored beneath the crust.
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