Jupiter's first satellite Io orbits. Active volcanoes on the moon Io

Io, named after the beloved of Zeus, is one of the Galilean satellites, closest to the giant planet Jupiter. The name of the satellite was assigned by S. Marius in 1614. This body occupies third place among the other large satellites, surpassing Europe in size.

Io's diameter is 3630 km, i.e. is 1.04 lunar. The dimensions of the Jovian moon are comparable to the dimensions of the Earth's. However, the mass exceeds the lunar mass by 1.21 times, reaching 88,935 quadrillion tons. The brightness is inferior to the brightness of other Galilean satellites, with the exception of Ganymede.

Io always faces one side toward the planet, just like the Moon faces Earth. This is explained by the fact that the speed of Io's rotation around its axis is equal to the speed of its revolution around Jupiter. The distance between the planet and the satellite is 421.6 thousand km; the remaining Galilean satellites are located much further from Jupiter.

Io also has another record: since it was one of the first to be discovered and was at that time the closest to the planet, it received the serial number I (Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, respectively, II, III, IV). At the same time, the closest natural satellites of Jupiter, Metis and Adrastea, are numbers XVI and XIV.

The relief of this satellite is unusually complex in comparison with the surface of others: wide valleys with steep slopes and scarps (steep ledges), hills and depressions, numerous volcanic calderas, high mountains - up to 10 km - in the northern hemisphere.

Io's surface formed about 1 million years ago and is very young geologically. This is evidenced by the complete absence of impact craters with a diameter greater than 2 km. In addition, this is confirmed by the high volcanic activity of the satellite’s interior.

Io is the only volcanically active satellite within the Solar System. Voyager photography discovered on the surface of the object more than a hundred calderas (openings of volcanic craters) with a diameter of 200 km, i.e. several orders of magnitude greater than those on Earth. Spacecraft have recorded the activity of seven volcanoes, which we can say with full confidence that they are active.

The first of the devices that approached Io observed the work of all seven volcanoes; by the time the second device approached, the eruption of one of the fiery mountains was completed. The film recorded emissions of erupted material from the vents of a marginal volcano to a height of 200 km. The volcano ejected matter, giving it a speed of 1 km/s, which is not observed on Earth. In terms of chemical composition, gases and particles of volcanic ejecta are represented mainly by hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. This is also typical for terrestrial eruptions.

Most likely, on Io, sulfur serves as the main element in the chemical evolution of the planet. There is a version that on Io, liquid magma almost does not break through to the surface of the solid silicate crust of the satellite, since it reacts with the sulfur seas. The latter are subcortical reserves of liquid sulfur. It is this that is ejected under pressure onto the surface of the satellite, breaking through its thin young crust. This sulfur accumulates on the planet in layers ranging in thickness from 3 - 5 on average to 30 km maximum. The appearance of the planet is brightly colored with sulfur compounds. The red, purple and yellow spots were formed from condensed vapors of pure sulfur, the black from sulfur-rich volcanic ash, and the white from crystals of sulfur dioxide called sulfur snow.

Io is probably the most famous of all the moons of Jupiter. It is the closest satellite to the surface of the planet. The difference between Io and other satellites is the violent volcanic activity on the surface of the satellite. holds the record for volcanic activity in the solar system; more than a dozen volcanoes can erupt simultaneously on its surface. During observation by spacecraft, many volcanoes cease their volcanic activity, while others, on the contrary, begin to erupt intensively.

The history of the discovery of the moon Io.

The moon Io was discovered back in 1610 by the very famous astronomer Galileo Galilei. It is interesting that Galileo discovered this satellite using a telescope he himself constructed, which could observe such small and distant cosmic bodies.

Simon Marius also claimed to have discovered the satellite during his observations of the satellites of Jupiter a year before its official discovery in 1909, but Simon did not manage to publish data about his discovery in time.

The name for this satellite “Io” was proposed by none other than Simon Marius, but this name was not used for a long time. Galileo named the four satellites of Jupiter he discovered with serial numbers, and Io received its well-deserved first number. But this was not entirely convenient, and subsequently the first satellite of Saturn began to be called Io.

Due to its great volcanic activity, Io's surface is constantly changing. The reliefs of the satellite change greatly every year. Io owes this volcanic activity to the planet Jupiter. The gravity of this giant is simply incredible and the planet causes the magma inside the satellite to constantly move and erupt onto the surface of Io. Due to Jupiter's enormous gravity, Io's volcanoes eject magma up to 300 km away. from the surface at a speed of 1 km/sec.

Io is unlike other gas giant moons, which contain mostly ice and ammonia. Io is more like a terrestrial planet containing minerals and rocks on the surface. Io has a core of liquid iron, which creates its own magnetic field for the satellite. The radius of the satellite does not exceed 1000 kilometers. On the surface of the satellite, in addition to erupting volcanoes, there are also inactive rock formations, long rivers of molten magma and lakes of liquid sulfur.

What's cooking on Io? On this active moon of Jupiter, volcanoes spew lava much hotter than lava on Earth. The picture you see is taken in high resolution and the colors are artificially enhanced. The picture shows the most active surface in the entire solar system. The size of the smallest parts is 3 km. Io's variety of unusual colors is due to the presence of various sulfur compounds. The dark areas are most likely composed of silicate rock.

There are active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io. The Voyager spacecraft photographed the eruptions when it flew near this active moon in 1979. The photo shows several volcanoes on Io, including one that is erupting. The emissions from this explosive event are visible in the upper left of the image, just beyond Io's edge. Io's volcanism is explained by the powerful tidal influence of Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede. Tidal forces deform Io, causing the moon's interior to heat up due to friction. The hot material expands and escapes through volcanoes. Currently, the Galileo spacecraft flies around Jupiter and photographs the Galilean moons.

The surface of Io is active. The geyser-like eruptions were observed by both Voyager spacecraft in 1979 and were also detected by Galileo's cameras in late June from a distance of 960,000 km. The picture shows a blue plume at the satellite's limb, rising from the large shield volcano Patera Ra 96 km above the surface. The blue color of the emission is due to condensed and cooled sulfur dioxide gas. The picture shows that the smoke glows against a dark background, possibly due to the fluorescence of excited sulfur and molecular oxygen atoms. Io's surface is quite cold - 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Then why is this satellite so active? Most likely, the gravitational effect of Jupiter combines with the gravitational influence of other Galilean satellites, and Io’s orbit is perturbed. Orbital disturbances cause changes in tidal forces, which lead to heating of Io's interior and the emergence of sulfur volcanic activity.

Two sulfur eruptions are visible in this composite color image of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. On the left, above the limb of Io, a new blue plume rises to a height of 138 km above the volcanic caldera Pillan Patera. In the center of the picture, near the line dividing day and night, a ring-shaped plume from the Prometheus volcano is visible, rising to a height of 72 km above the surface of Io and casting a shadow to the right of the volcano’s crater. Prometheus Volcano is named after the Greek god who gave fire to mortals. The plume above this volcano is visible in every image of Io, including those taken by Voyager in 1979. Thus, the volcano has been continuously erupting for at least 18 years. This image was taken by the Galileo spacecraft on June 28 from a distance of 595,200 km.

A complex plume erupting from a volcano rises more than 300 km above the horizon of Jupiter's moon Io in this photo taken by cameras aboard the New Horizons spacecraft. The Tvashtar volcano itself is visible as a bright speck near the edge of the satellite (in the 1 o'clock direction) behind the terminator - the boundary between the night and day sides. Io's shadow covers part of the plume. The high-resolution image was taken while the spacecraft was 2.3 million km from Io, and also clearly shows details of the surface illuminated by the Sun. Rushing at almost 23 km/s towards the outskirts of the solar system, the New Horizons spacecraft is due to cross the orbit of Saturn in June next year. It is expected that in 2015 it will reach its flight destination - Pluto.

This image has the highest resolution of all photographs of Io*, the most unusual satellite in the solar system. The volcanoes on its surface are so active that it seems as if they are ready to turn Jupiter's satellite inside out. The area visible in the photograph is 4 km across, with the smallest visible details* being only 5 meters. The nature of many of them is not yet entirely clear. Typically, lighter areas correspond to higher terrain than darker areas. In some areas, traces of erosion by some unknown process are visible. Although Io's surface near its erupting volcanoes is hot enough to melt rocks, much of the moon is well below freezing. The photo was taken by the Galileo probe during its approach to Io in February 2000.

Recently, new photographs were obtained of a volcanic eruption taking place on Jupiter's moon Io. On the left of the photo (made in false colors) hot glowing lava is visible. The plateaus and valleys surrounding the active volcano are covered with light-colored sulfur deposits and silicate rocks. The image, covering an area about 250 km across, was taken in February 2000 by the Galileo robot in orbit around Jupiter. Since November 1999, many details on the surface, including several dark spots, have changed noticeably. Io is slightly larger than the Moon and is the closest to Jupiter among its large satellites. The features of Io's internal structure that give rise to its active volcanism continue to be studied.

What is the reason for the unusual colors of Io's surface around the volcanoes? Io, the innermost large moon of Jupiter's Galilean moons, is the most active body in the Solar System. The size of Io is approximately the same as that of the Moon, the Earth's satellite. Volcanic eruptions occur almost constantly on Io, caused by the forces of gravitational attraction from Jupiter and its other large satellites. For the past several years, the robotic interplanetary station Galileo, orbiting Jupiter, has been monitoring the active volcano Kulan Patera. The images show that lava streams erupted from the volcano in colors other than red and black. The magma also contained sulfur - yellow spots in the photographs. The green color may be the result of repeated processes in the same area. The white patches may be due to snow falling in the form of sulfur dioxide. Galileo basically completed his tasks. Now it is maneuvering in low orbit on the remaining fuel. NASA plans to send the ship to Jupiter, which it will crash into in 2003.

What can you see when you look inside one of the active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io? The caldera of the Tupan Patera volcano, named after the Brazilian god of thunder, turned out to be a strange and dangerous place, filled with hot black lava and warm red sulfur deposits, likely formed from escaping gases. The hilly yellow area is also rich in sulfur. The robotic Galileo spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter transmitted this image late last year as it flew past the active world. Tupan Patera is a volcanic depression surrounded by cliffs almost a kilometer high. The width of this depression is about 75 km. Since Galileo has already completed all its tasks and the fuel supply for maneuvering is running out, NASA plans to crash the device onto Jupiter in 2003.

In 1610, Galileo Galilei pointed a telescope at the sky and discovered four bright moons of Jupiter. The innermost of the Galilean moons, Io, is among the most exotic objects in the solar system. Io is larger than the Moon, the Earth's satellite. Io is covered in volcanoes, many of which are active. Material released from volcanic eruptions may contain sulfur compounds that come in a variety of colors.

In 1979, one of the Voyager spacecraft made a stunning, unexpected discovery. Jupiter's innermost Galilean moon, Io, appears to be covered in volcanoes, some of which are active! In total, Voyager 2 spotted nine volcanic eruptions during its flyby of the moon. When Voyager 2 returned four months later, at least six of them were still erupting. The image shows the large patera of Ra Volcano and the streams flowing from the dark central volcanic vent, stretching 320 km in length.

The most unusual satellite in the solar system appears bright yellow. This image shows Io in its natural colors. The image was taken in July 1999 by the Galileo spacecraft orbiting Jupiter. Io's color comes from molten silicate rocks and sulfur. Io's unusual surface remains constantly very young thanks to a system of active volcanoes. Jupiter's powerful tidal forces deform Io and dampen its vibrations, which arise under the influence of the gravitational attraction of other Galilean moons. As a result of these processes, the interior of Io becomes very hot, and then molten rock bursts to the surface. Io's volcanoes are so active that they literally turn the moon inside out. Sometimes the lava on Io is so hot that it glows in the dark.

What happened on Jupiter's moon Io? Two sulfur eruptions are visible in this composite color image of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The image was taken by cameras on the robotic Galileo spacecraft during its orbit around Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. At the top of the picture, above the limb of Io, a blue plume rises to a height of 140 km above the volcanic caldera Pillan Patera. In the center of the picture, near the line dividing day and night, a ring-shaped plume from the Prometheus volcano is visible, rising to a height of 75 km above the surface of Io and casting a shadow to the right of the volcano’s crater. The plume above this volcano is visible in every image of Io, including those taken by Voyager in 1979. Thus, the volcano continuously erupted for at least 18 years. This image was originally acquired on June 28, 1997, from an average distance of 600,000 km and subsequently contrasted using a computer.

Io's surface changes every time we look at it again. In the lower left corner of the picture you see an image of Jupiter's most active moon, taken by the Galileo spacecraft's cameras in April 1997. The larger image was taken last month. A dark spot is clearly visible, representing a volcano called Pillan Patera, which erupted during this time. A huge area the size of Arizona is covered in dark ejecta. What is this substance? Its chemical composition is still unknown, but it is definitely different from the composition of the red substance surrounding the Pele volcano.

The photo contains a composite infrared image presented in false colors. Glowing hot lava can be seen flowing from the very center of Mount Pele on Io. The image was taken during a close flyby of the Galileo spacecraft by this moon of Jupiter. The Pelé volcano itself sits in the middle of a 1,300 km ring of yellowish sulfurous material formed by frequent volcanic eruptions. The small dark red spot on Pele corresponds to hot lava flowing out of the volcano's crater. The temperature of the lava is 1027 degrees Celsius. Galileo's flyby of Io has revealed that the solar system's most volcanic body is even more active than previously suspected. It turned out that Io has more than a hundred active volcanoes on its surface!

A lava fountain was discovered on Jupiter's satellite Io, which rose above the active surface of the satellite to a height of more than a kilometer. The photograph of the volcanic eruption was taken by the cameras of the automated Galileo spacecraft, which flies in the vicinity of Jupiter. The fountains are captured in footage taken during the approach and combined into a mosaic. The lava eruption was so bright that the colors had to be digitally re-encoded to show up in the picture. Hot lava pours out of a long canyon, the length of which is 20 km.

When Galileo's spacecraft flew past Io, its cameras managed to capture a landmark on this volcanic moon of Jupiter. From a distance of 26,000 km, Patera Hall looks like a cauldron-shaped pit, or caldera, filled with molten lava, gaseous exhaust and amazing slides. The picture shows red lava erupting along the base of the volcanic caldera, while cooling black lava borders the edges of the volcanic plateau. From the length of the shadows, it can be estimated that the peak of Patera Salus rises to a height of 5 km above the molten surface of Io. Galileo flew past Io again and began transmitting to Earth images taken from a distance of 200 km from the surface of Io.

Io has its own cloud. In the photo on the left you see Jupiter's most active satellite. The sun illuminates this view from the left. The photograph is presented in false colors. However, what happened to the right on Io? This is a plume of gas from the active Prometheus volcano, which also reflects light from the Sun. The second active volcano Pele is also visible in the photo. The volcano is marked with a red dot slightly below the center of Io. A yellow mist floats around the satellite, which consists of gas released during Io's volcanic eruptions. Sodium atoms in the gas cloud reflect yellow light particularly effectively. The points of light in the photograph represent the stars in the background.

What is the size of Jupiter's moon Io? One of the most volcanically active objects in the Solar System, Io is 3,600 km across, which is comparable to the size of Earth's large natural satellite. Flying past Jupiter at the turn of the millennium, the Cassini spacecraft captured this stunning view of active Io against the backdrop of the largest gas giant, while simultaneously demonstrating their relative sizes. Although Io appears to be positioned just above the churning clouds in the photo, in reality it is in a 42-hour orbit 420,000 kilometers from Jupiter's center, about 350,000 kilometers above the cloud tops*—the average distance from the Earth to the Moon. The spacecraft itself at that time was at a distance of about 10 million kilometers.

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Back in 1610, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei noticed four spots on the disk. The spots appeared and then disappeared again. It was like planets orbiting a star like . This is how the first “moons” of Jupiter were discovered, named after the scientist - Galilean satellites. For almost four hundred years, scientists, astronomers and just amateurs were sure that there were only four satellites. However, in the age of space technology, dozens of Jupiter's moons. All of them, together with the huge giant, form another, small "". If Jupiter's mass were 4 times its actual mass, then another star system would form. On the Earth's horizon it would be observed two stars: And .

All satellites rotate due to the enormous gravity of Jupiter, their rotation is similar to rotation around. Each “moon” has its own orbits, which are distant from the gas planet at different distances. The closest satellite is Metis is located 128 thousand km from the planet, while the most distant ones are 20-30 million km from their “host”. At the moment, the eyes of scientists and astronomers are directed specifically at the study of 4 Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Calisto), since they are the largest and most unpredictable moons of Jupiter. These are the most interesting new worlds, each with its own history, mysteries and phenomena.

Io

Satellite name: Io;

Diameter: 3660 km;

Surface area: 41,910,000 km²;

Io was discovered by Galileo on January 8, 1610. It is the closest Galilean satellite. Distance from Io to the outermost layers of Jupiter's atmosphere is almost the same as between and - about 350,000 thousand km. In many basic parameters, the satellite is similar to the Moon. The mass and volume are almost the same, the radius of Io is only 100 km larger than the lunar radius, the gravitational forces of both satellites are also similar (Io - 1.8 m/s², Moon - 1.62 m/s²). Due to its small distance from the planet and its large mass, the gravitational force rotates Io around the planet at a speed of 62,400 km/h (17 times the rotation speed). Thus, a year on Io lasts only 42.5 hours, so the satellite can be observed almost every day.

A characteristic difference between Io and other satellites is the large volcanic activity on its surface. Voyager space stations have recorded 12 active volcanoes spewing hot lava flows up to 300 km high. The main gas emitted is sulfur dioxide, which then freezes on the surface as a white solid. Due to Io's thin atmosphere, such hot gas fountains can be seen even with amateur telescopes. This majestic spectacle can be considered one of the wonders of the solar system. What is the reason for such high volcanic activity on Io?, because its neighbor Europe is a completely frozen world, the surface of which is covered with a multi-kilometer layer of ice. This question is a major mystery for scientists and astronomers. The main version implies that the gravitational influence on Io, both itself and other satellites, caused the creation of two tidal humps on the surface of the satellite. Since Io's orbit is not an exact circle, as it rotates around Jupiter, the humps move slightly across Io's surface, which leads to heating of the interior. Nearest "moon" Jupiter is squeezed into a gravitational ring between the planet itself and the rest of its satellites (mainly between and Europa). On this basis, it should be noted that Io is the most volcanically active body .

Volcanic activity is quite common on Io. Sulfur emissions may
rise to a height of 300 km, some of them fall to the surface, forming
lava seas, and some remain in outer space

Europe

Satellite name: Europe;

Diameter: 3122 km;

Surface area: 30,613,000 km²;

Volume: 1.59×10 10 km³;

Weight: 4.8×10 22 kg;

Density t: 3013 kg/m³;

Rotation period: 3.55 days;

Circulation period: 3.55 days;

Distance from Jupiter: 671,000 km;

Orbital speed: 13.74 km/s;

Equator length: 9,807 km;

Orbital inclination: 1.79°;

Acceleration free fall: 1.32 m/s²;

Satellite: Jupiter

Europe is the sixth satellite of Jupiter or the second of the Galilean group. Its almost circular orbit is located at a distance of 671 thousand kilometers from the Gas Giant. The satellite needs 3 days 13 hours and 12 minutes to turn around, while Io manages to complete two revolutions during this time.
At first glance Europe- This is a world completely frozen and devoid of all life. There are no energy sources on its surface, and due to the large distance from the center, the satellite receives virtually no solar heat. This also includes an atmosphere that is too thin and cannot retain heat for a long time. However, the sixth moon has something that not only other satellites of the planet do not have, but also all bodies (except). The surface of Jupiter is covered with a 100 kilometer layer water. This amount of water exceeds the volume of the earth's oceans and seas combined. The atmosphere, although thin, still consists entirely of oxygen (an element without which all Earthly creatures would die). It would seem that since there is oxygen and water, it means that life will begin. However, the upper layer, 10-30 km thick, is in a solid ice state, forming a very dense frozen crust, in which there are no active movements. But underneath its thickness there is enough heat to turn water into a liquid phase in which a wide variety of inhabitants of the underwater world can live. In the near future, humanity plans to direct Europe such a robot that could drill through a multi-kilometer layer of ice, dive into the thickness of the ocean and get acquainted with the local underwater inhabitants. At the end of its mission, such a device will have to rise to the surface of the satellite and deliver extraterrestrial beings to our planet.

A spacecraft (as imagined by the artist) that will pass through

Europa's icy crust and will begin to study the oceanic part of the satellite

Geological history of Europe has nothing to do with the history of other satellites. It is one of the smoothest solids in . There are no hills on Europa more than 100 m high, and its entire surface looks like one large plain of frozen ice. Its entire young surface is covered with a network of light and dark narrow stripes of enormous length. Dark stripes thousands of kilometers long are traces of a global system of cracks that arose as a result of repeated heating of the ice crust from internal stresses and large-scale tectonic processes.