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Explanation: The strangest moon in the Solar System is bright yellow. This recently released picture, showing Io's true colors, was taken in July by the Galileo spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter. Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons. The resulting friction greatly heats Io's interior, causing molten rock to explode through the surface. Io's volcanoes are so active that they are effectively turning the whole moon inside out. Some of Io's volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the dark.
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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: Jupiter - Io
Publications with words: Jupiter - Io
See also:
- APOD: 2026 January 20 Á Io in True Color
- APOD: 2026 January 18 Á Jupiter from the Webb Space Telescope
- APOD: 2026 January 6 Á Jupiters Clouds in High Definition from Juno
- APOD: 2025 November 11 Á Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble
- APOD: 2025 December 14 Á Juno Flyby of Ganymede and Jupiter
- APOD: 2025 May 25 Á Beneath Jupiter
- Painting with Jupiter