NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently took breathtaking images of Io and Jupiter, providing new insights into the most volcanic world in our solar system.
NASA’s Juno spacecraft has once again delivered a stunning batch of images from its orbit around Jupiter, including rare shots of the solar system’s most volcanic world.
During its 53rd orbit since arriving in the Jovian system in 2016, Juno—about the size of a school bus—came close to Jupiter’s cloud-tops after conducting a close flyby of its moon Io.
The flyby resulted in the best images ever captured of Io’s Loki Platera volcanic caldera.
Unprecedented Views
Io boasts the highest level of volcanic activity among celestial bodies in our solar system, hosting hundreds of volcanoes and spewing lava fountains on its surface, as per NASA.
Juno captured these extraordinary images from a distance of just 13,821 miles (22,243 kilometers)—the highest-resolution views obtained since 2007. Among them is an incredible depiction of Loki Patera, Io’s largest volcanic depression, which contains a lake of lava. It’s undoubtedly one of the most remarkable images of the region ever captured.
This compilation of twelve images from JunoCam provides the most detailed views of Jupiter’s moon Io since the New Horizons encounter in 2007.
The Vibrant Landscapes of Io
Io experiences a constant gravitational interaction with Jupiter and its other large moons as it completes an orbit around the massive planet every 42 hours. This constant tug results in friction and “tidal heating,” leading scientists to infer the presence of an underground ocean of magma.
The montage above comprises images taken over 50 minutes, unveiling a colorful landscape across Io’s northern hemisphere adorned with active lava flows, yellow, red, and green sulfurous deposits, and towering silicate mountains, as revealed by citizen scientist and Io expert Jason Perry .
Awaiting Further Discoveries
On May 17, 2023, Juno captured images of Jupiter’s moon Io from a mere distance of 22,060 miles (35,500 kilometers), just hours before a rare eclipse of Jupiter by the Moon was observed from North America.
However, the closest Juno will come to Io is on December 30, 2023, and February 3, 2024 when the spacecraft will approach within a mere distance of 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) from its surface.
Enhanced using JunoCam imager’s PJ53 North North Temperate Belt raw images and data collected during the July 31, 2023 flyby by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. The enhancement emphasizes the features, clouds, colors, and the stunning beauty of Jupiter.
Swirling Clouds
Following the close flyby of Io, Juno proceeded to capture its monthly set of images detailing Jupiter’s swirling bands of clouds and enigmatic stormy atmosphere. As always, these images showcase the mesmerizing beauty of Jupiter while providing scientists with valuable insights into the planet’s atmospheric conditions and storm systems.
Onboard Juno is a suite of instruments dedicated to discovering more about Jupiter’s origins, structure, atmosphere, and magnetosphere, including its interior and aurorae.
A glimpse of Jupiter’s northern circumpolar cyclones, impeccably captured by Juno on July 31, 2024.
Incredible Images
Juno follows a highly elliptical orbit, taking it close to Jupiter’s polar regions only once every 32 days. The images are obtained from JunoCam, a two-megapixel camera on board the spacecraft that captures images while it rotates. These raw data are then skillfully processed by citizen scientists on Earth to create the stunning images showcased here.
The data is transmitted by Juno into space and received as radio signals by NASA’s Deep Space Network, which comprises three large radio telescopes in Goldstone, California; Madrid, Spain; and Canberra, Australia. It takes approximately 34 light-minutes for the data to reach Earth.
Juno will conduct its next close flyby of Jupiter on September 7, 2023.
May you always have clear skies and a sense of wonder.
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