NASA’s Juno spacecraft made its closest approach yet to Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io on July 30, when it came within 13,700 miles of the celestial body. The data collected by its JIRAM (Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper) and other science instruments will provide valuable information on the hundreds of erupting volcanoes pouring out molten lava over the moon.
Io is just slightly larger than Earth’s Moon, but is far more fiery with lava bubbling to the surface in the northwest portion, resulting in a lava lake to the south and east. During the May 16 flyby, the team discovered the 125-mile-wide Loki Patera. This is the largest volcanic depression on Io and the JIRAM data revealed what could be an active volcano.
- Feed a passion for science and technology – Kids can learn more about the challenges of space exploration with this LEGO Technic NASA Mars Rover...
- Conduct a test flight – This advanced building kit for kids ages 10 and up includes a buildable toy version of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, which...
- AR brings the mission to life – The accompanying augmented reality app experience lets kids dive into the details of the rover and its mission
While JIRAM was designed to look at Jupiter’s polar aurora, its capability to identify heat sources is proving to be indispensable in our hunt for active volcanos on Io. As we get closer with each flyby, JIRAM and other instruments aboard Juno add to our library of data on the moon, allowing us to not only better resolve surface features but understand how they change over time,” said Scott Bolton, Juno Principal Investigator.
