Posted on Dec 11, 2022
APOD: 2022 December 11 - Io in True Color
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Good afternoon, Rallypoint, and welcome to the December 11th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "Io in True Color." Io is the innermost of the four moons of the planet Jupiter discovered in 1610 by Galileo. Slightly larger than Earth’s moon, Io is the fourth-largest moon in our local celestial sphere. The geology of Io is one of its primary features that is so interesting to scientists: it is the home to over 400 active volcanoes, has the highest density of any moon, the strongest surface gravity of any moon, and the lowest amount of water (by atomic ratio) of any known astronomical object in our Solar System.
Data suggests that most of Io's surface is composed of extensive plains with a frosty coating of sulfur and sulfur dioxide, hence the yellow color. To give you an idea how prominent volcanism is on Io, consider this: Io and our Moon are comparable in size (Io is slightly larger). Our Moon is roughly 1/3 the size of Earth. So if there was comparable volcanism on Earth as there is on Io, there would be some 1200 active volcanoes on Earth. Turns out there are an estimated 1350 active volcanoes on Earth. For its size, Io exhibits an almost Earth-like incidence of volcanic activity.
Data suggests that most of Io's surface is composed of extensive plains with a frosty coating of sulfur and sulfur dioxide, hence the yellow color. To give you an idea how prominent volcanism is on Io, consider this: Io and our Moon are comparable in size (Io is slightly larger). Our Moon is roughly 1/3 the size of Earth. So if there was comparable volcanism on Earth as there is on Io, there would be some 1200 active volcanoes on Earth. Turns out there are an estimated 1350 active volcanoes on Earth. For its size, Io exhibits an almost Earth-like incidence of volcanic activity.
APOD: 2022 December 11 - Io in True Color
Posted from apod.nasa.gov
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Posted 2 y ago
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Thank you my space-exploration advocate friend and brother-in-Christ Maj William W. 'Bill' Price for posting the Sunday, December 11, 2022 Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD); Io in True Color
December 11, 2022 was the 23rd anniversary of my marriage to my darling wife.
Image: Io in True Color; Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project
APOD “Explanation: The strangest moon in the Solar System is bright yellow. The featured picture, an attempt to show how Io would appear in the "true colors" perceptible to the average human eye, was taken in 1999 July by the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons. The resulting friction greatly heats Io's interior, causing molten rock to explode through the surface. Io's volcanoes are so active that they are effectively turning the whole moon inside out. Some of Io's volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the dark.
December 11, 2022 was the 23rd anniversary of my marriage to my darling wife.
Image: Io in True Color; Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Project
APOD “Explanation: The strangest moon in the Solar System is bright yellow. The featured picture, an attempt to show how Io would appear in the "true colors" perceptible to the average human eye, was taken in 1999 July by the Galileo spacecraft that orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons. The resulting friction greatly heats Io's interior, causing molten rock to explode through the surface. Io's volcanoes are so active that they are effectively turning the whole moon inside out. Some of Io's volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the dark.
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