This is an image of Io.
Click on image for full size
NASA
Io
Io was first discovered by Galileo in 1610, making it one of the
Galilean Satellites. Of the 60 moons it is the 5th closest to Jupiter, with a standoff distance of 421,600 km. It is the 4th largest moon of Jupiter, with a diameter about 2/3 the distance across the United States, of 3630 km (2256 miles).
Io is named after one of Jupiter's many lovers, from Roman mythology. It is the only moon known to have active volcanism, which is visible on the surface.
Io is mostly made of sulfur, iron, and rocky material, which means that Io is nothing at all like the other icy satellites of Jupiter, and has had a very different evolution.
The particles comprising Io's atmosphere readily find their way into the magnetosphere, and create a donut-shaped cloud called the torus. This cloud has a very profound effect on Jupiter's magnetosphere.
Because of all the lava, the environment of Io is pretty unfriendly to life as we know it on earth.
You might also be interested in:
What types of instructional experiences help K-8 students learn science with understanding? What do science educators teachers, teacher leaders, science specialists, professional development staff, curriculum designers, school administrators need to know to create and support such experiences?
...more
The surface of Io is completely volcanic, with lava flows of sulfur from the interior, as shown in this image. White patches in the image are areas of frost made of sulfur dioxide instead of water. The
...more
The air of Io is roughly 90% Sulfur, and 10% other simple atoms such as Oxygen. An idea of the interior composition can be guessed from the density of Io, which is about 3.5. The density of iron is about
...more
Io is the smallest of the major Galilean satellites, with a size that could be that of the rocky core of one of the other Galilean moons. Io is heated through the process of tidal forcing, which causes
...moreIn spite of the fact that Io has an atmosphere, the environment of Io seems pretty unfriendly toward life as we know it on earth. Io is very small, so there is not much gravity. For this reason, the atmosphere
...moreIn the foreground of this image is shown the geyser, Pelee.
...more
This is an image of the geyser, Prometheus. The black marking in the center of the image is the mouth of the geyser. This opening is encircled by a pool of material.
...more
