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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.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Io - Jupiter
Publications with words: Io - Jupiter
See also:
- APOD: 2025 April 2 Б Jupiter and Ring in Infrared from Webb
- APOD: 2025 March 9 Б Cyclones at Jupiters North Pole
- APOD: 2025 February 16 Б Perijove 11: Passing Jupiter
- Stereo Jupiter near Opposition
- APOD: 2024 November 3 Б Jupiter Abyss
- APOD: 2024 May 19 Б Jupiter Diving
- APOD: 2024 April 21 Б Perijove 16: Passing Jupiter