NASA has uncovered new insights into Io, Jupiter’s third-largest moon and the most volcanically active body in our solar system. With over 400 active volcanoes, Io is known for its breathtaking lava flows and eruptions that launch plumes into space. A recent breakthrough from NASA's Juno mission has provided answers to a 44-year-old mystery regarding the origins of Io's powerful volcanic activity.

NASA's Juno mission has discovered that Io's volcanoes are likely powered by individual magma chambers rather than a single magma ocean beneath its surface. This finding, published in Nature, resolves a 44-year-old mystery about the moon's intense geological activity.

In 2023 and 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew close to Io and gathered data on its gravitational field, revealing that Io does not have a global magma ocean, as previously thought. Instead, its volcanoes are fueled by localised pockets of molten rock.

This volcanic activity is driven by Io's unique orbit around Jupiter, which causes constant stretching and squeezing by the planet's gravity, generating heat. If there were a magma ocean, Juno's observations would have shown more significant deformation.

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Stunning Image Of Io’s Volcanoes

NASA posted on X, sharing new discoveries from the #JunoMission, revealing the intense volcanic activity on Jupiter's moon Io, including an active volcano erupting into space.

The SRU captured a high-resolution image of Io from 932 miles away, revealing details as fine as 895 to 1,230 meters per pixel. The image shows the Zal Montes-Patera complex and part of the Tonatiuh eruptive centre, with fresh lava flows visible in Zal Patera, a dark area between two mountains.

Scientists also detected sulfur dioxide gas near the lava flows and observed thermal emissions indicating active lava breakouts around Zal Patera and South Zal Mons. A curved emission feature suggests an active lava channel nearby.

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Juno recently completed its 66th science flyby over Jupiter on November 24 and is set for its next close approach on December 27, bringing it 2,175 miles above Jupiter's cloud tops. Since entering Jupiter's orbit in 2016, Juno has travelled over 645 million miles.