Juno Completes its Closest Flyby of Io Yet.
NASA's Juno spacecraft completed its closest flyby of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io on October 15, 2023, passing within 7,461 miles (12,000 kilometers) of the surface. This is the closest that any spacecraft has come to Io in over two decades.
Juno's JunoCam instrument captured stunning new images of Io during the flyby, revealing the moon's dramatic volcanic landscape in unprecedented detail. The images show towering volcanoes, lava flows, and sulfurous plains.
Juno's other instruments also collected valuable data on Io's magnetic field, atmosphere, and composition. This data will help scientists to better understand Io's volcanic activity and its role in Jupiter's system.
Juno's flyby of Io is a major achievement for the mission and for space exploration as a whole. It provides us with our closest look yet at one of the most fascinating and dynamic worlds in our solar system.
Juno is scheduled to make two more close flybys of Io in the coming months, on December 3, 2023 and February 24, 2024. These flybys will provide scientists with even more data on this remarkable moon.
Why is Io so important?
Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. It has over 400 active volcanoes, and some of them erupt on a daily basis. Io's volcanic activity is driven by the tidal forces of Jupiter and its other moons.
Io's volcanic activity has a major impact on the moon's environment. It creates a thin atmosphere of sulfur dioxide and other gases. It also creates a powerful magnetic field.
Io's volcanic activity also plays a role in Jupiter's system. The sulfur dioxide from Io's volcanoes forms a cloud torus around Jupiter. This cloud torus is responsible for Jupiter's red color.
What did Juno's flyby reveal?
Juno's flyby of Io revealed a number of new insights about the moon. For example, Juno's images showed that Io's surface is even more active than previously thought. Juno also detected evidence of active lava flows on Io's surface.
Juno's data also showed that Io's magnetic field is more complex than previously thought. Juno also detected evidence of a plasma torus around Io, which is similar to the cloud torus of sulfur dioxide around Jupiter.
What's next for Juno?
Juno is scheduled to continue orbiting Jupiter until 2025. During this time, it will make several more close flybys of Io. Juno will also continue to study Jupiter's atmosphere, magnetic field, and composition.
Juno's data is helping scientists to better understand Jupiter and its system. It is also helping us to understand the formation and evolution of planets and moons.