Io: Moon over Jupiter
Explanation:
How big is Jupiter's moon Io?
The most
volcanic body in the Solar
System,
Io (usually pronounced "EYE-oh") is
3,600 kilometers in diameter, about the size of
planet Earth's single large
natural satellite.
Gliding
past Jupiter
at the turn of the millennium, the Cassini spacecraft captured this
awe
inspiring view of
active Io
with the
largest gas giant as a backdrop,
offering a
stunning demonstration of the ruling planet's
relative size.
Although
in the featured picture Io appears
to be located just in front of the
swirling Jovian clouds,
Io hurtles around its orbit once every 42 hours
at a distance of 420,000 kilometers or so from the center
of Jupiter.
That puts
Io
nearly 350,000 kilometers above
Jupiter's cloud tops,
roughly equivalent to the distance between
Earth and Moon.
In July, NASA's
Juno
satellite began orbiting
Jupiter
and will sometimes swoop to within 5,000 kilometers of Jupiter's cloud tops.
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.
