NASA has just revealed stunning images from the close flyby of the “hellish” moon Io by the Juno spacecraft.
According to Live Science, the images released by NASA show a massive lava lake with a surface described as “smooth as glass”, a breathtaking landscape that seems almost impossible on the “volcanic moon” Io.
The Juno spacecraft from NASA provided this close-up view by scanning a 1,500 km area of Io’s volcanic surface in December 2023 and January 2024.
The smooth, glassy lava lake on Io captured by NASA – (Photo: NASA).
These flybys provide the closest view of Io ever, showcasing hundreds of active volcanoes.
According to NASA, the eruptions of supervolcanoes on Io can sometimes be powerful enough to be seen with telescopes on Earth.
The new images show Loki Patera, a 200 km wide lava lake on the surface of Io. Scientists have been observing this lava lake for decades. It is situated above magma reservoirs beneath the moon’s surface.
Describing the findings, scientist Scott Bolton, the principal investigator of the Juno mission, stated that the cooled lava at the center of the lake is surrounded by molten magma along the edges.
“The unique reflection captured by our instruments of the lake shows parts of Io’s surface that are as smooth as glass, reminiscent of obsidian created by volcanoes on Earth,” Bolton explained.
The images also reveal rugged rocky islands concentrated within the lava lake.
A close-up of the “glass lake” on Io – (Photo: NASA).
Surprisingly, Juno’s instruments have determined that the surface of Io is even smoother than that of the three Galilean moons, despite being volcanic.
Io is one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, observed by Galileo Galilei in the early 17th century, and is also among the largest moons.
Among the four Galilean moons, Europa is highly regarded by NASA as a “potentially habitable moon,” while Ganymede and Callisto also show some promise.
Given its “hellish” condition, Io is unlikely to support life. However, this celestial body has many unique features that NASA hopes to explore.
Io is also one of the three rare bodies in the Solar System with solid evidence of active volcanism, alongside Earth, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, and Neptune’s moon Triton.
