CNN —Flybys of Jupiter’s fiery moon Io, carried out by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, are helping to solve the enduring mystery of why the small moon is the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
Similar in size to Earth’s moon, Io has an estimated 400 volcanoes that continuously release plumes and lava that coat that moon’s surface.
The spacecraft zipped within 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the moon’s surface, capturing images and data.
NASA's Juno spacecraft captures the north polar region of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io on December 30, 2023.
CNN/JPLThe Juno spacecraft continues to contribute new insights about Jupiter and its moons, having recently completed a flyby over Jupiter’s swirling cloud tops on November 24.
Persons:
CNN —, NASA’s, Juno’s, ”, Scott Bolton, Juno, “, Galileo Galilei, Bolton, Linda Morabito, ” Bolton, It’s, Ryan Park, Heidi Becker, Loki
Organizations:
CNN, Southwest Research Institute, NASA, Jupiter, JPL, Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, New, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Research, Voyager, Solar System Dynamics, Juno
Locations:
Washington ,, San Antonio, Pasadena , California