NASA has made an important discovery that reveals why Jupiter’s moon Io has so much volcanic activity.
This mystery, which has been going on for 44 years, has been clarified thanks to new observations made with NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Juno’s passes near Io in 2023 and 2024 showed that Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull on Io produces large amounts of heat in the moon’s interior, and this heat leads to volcanic eruptions. Io is known for its more than 400 active volcanoes and constant eruptions on its surface. This new discovery clarified the source of Io’s volcanic activity and caused excitement in the scientific world.
NASA’s Discovery Reveals Io’s Volcanic Secrets
This discovery by NASA reveals that Io’s internal structure is different from previous theories. Previously, Io was thought to have a magma ocean, but according to new data, Io’s interior is largely solid.
Data collected by Juno shows that Jupiter’s strong tidal effects cause heating in Io’s interior, particularly in local magma chambers, and that this heat triggers volcanic eruptions.
This discovery not only improves our understanding of Io, but also raises new questions about whether a similar effect occurs on other moons such as Europa and Enceladus. This discovery by NASA is considered a revolutionary step in planetary science.