This is an image of Io.
Click on image for full size
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Io's Atmosphere

There are no clouds and lightning. Io has a very important atmosphere, even though it is very thin and it does not stay on Io for very long.

Io's atmosphere comes from its volcanoes, then fades away. Because the atmosphere comes from it's volcanos, the air of Io is made primarily of sulphur.

Once the particles from the atmosphere get into the magnetosphere, they create a donut-shaped cloud of material around Io.

The Galileo spacecraft, in exploring the moons of Jupiter will try to learn more about the atmosphere of Io.


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