CNN —Close flybys of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons and the most volcanically active world in our solar system, have revealed a lava lake and a towering feature called “Steeple Mountain” on the moon’s alien surface.
“We also got some great close-ups and other data on a 200-kilometer-long (127-mile-long) lava lake called Loki Patera.
Juno detected the mountain with the help of the sun shining on Io’s surface, which created dramatic shadows that revealed a very sharp peak.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSSAs an outdoors enthusiast, Bolton joked that Io’s Steeple Mountain should be one of the solar system’s skiing and snowboarding destinations.
The mission team used Juno’s Microwave Radiometer instrument to create maps of Io’s surface, showing how incredibly smooth it is.
Persons:
”, Scott Bolton, “, Loki Patera, Gerald Eichstädt, Thomas Thomopoulos, ” Bolton, Bolton, Galileo Galilei, Hera
Organizations:
CNN, Southwest Research Institute, NASA, JPL, Caltech, Bolton, European Geophysical Union General Assembly, Juno, Science, “, Galileo
Locations:
Vienna, Chile