Galileo's First Color Image of Io
Explanation:
Above is
the first color image
of
Jupiter's volcanic moon Io released by the Galileo Project.
(Io sounds like "eye-oh".)
The image was made on June 25 when the
Galileo spacecraft approached within 1.4 million miles.
It reveals features as small as 14 miles across - comparable to the resolution
of the best 1979 vintage
Voyager images.
The Voyager flybys discovered
active volcanos on
Io's mottled surface
and this image indicates that
dramatic changes have occurred since, notably in the region of
the Masubi volcano located in Io's southern hemisphere.
This region, apparently covered with new deposits
of sulfur and sulfur dioxide frost deposited by volcanic eruption,
is seen as the pronounced white area at the bottom of the picture.
While scientists continue to analyze this image and
other recent Galileo data the robot spacecraft will continue
to explore Jupiter's moons.
Its next scheduled
close encounter is set for September 6th with
the moon Ganymede.
Higher resolution images of Io are also expected during the ongoing
mission.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
