Io Rotating
Explanation:
The surface of Io is continually changing.
Jupiter's moon
is the home to many powerful
volcanoes so active
they are effectively turning the moon inside out.
The
above time-lapse sequence is a composite of images
taken during two space missions that approached the violent moon:
Voyager and
Galileo.
The sequence shows
Io during a complete rotation,
which corresponds to a complete revolution around
Jupiter since
Io always keeps the same face toward the giant planet.
The rampant volcanism is thought to be caused by
Jupiter's more distant
Galilean Moons
(
Europa,
Ganymede, and
Callisto) pulling on Io and continually distorting its shape,
causing internal
frictional heating.
Io is composed mostly of rock, with the yellow color originating from
sulfur.
The causes of many of the other colors remain a
topic of research.
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.
