Io Volcano Culann Patera
Explanation:
What causes the unusual colors surrounding Io's volcanoes?
Io,
the innermost
large moon of
Jupiter, is known to be the most
tumultuous body in the
Solar System.
Approximately the size of
Earth's Moon, Io undergoes nearly
continuous volcanic eruptions
from an interior heated by
gravitational tides from Jupiter and Jupiter's other large moons.
The
robot spacecraft Galileo currently orbiting Jupiter
has been monitoring the active volcano
Culann Patera over the past few years.
The
above images indicate that the
volcano
has produced not only red and black colored
lava flows, but yellow
sulfur patches from explosive plumes.
Green colors may arise when these processes affect the same terrain.
White patches may be caused, in part, by
sulfur dioxide
snow.
As
Galileo has fulfilled its
mission objectives and is running low on maneuvering fuel, NASA plans to
crash the spacecraft into Jupiter during 2003.
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.
