NASA's Juno spacecraft has observed the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on Jupiter's moon Io.
The event was a massive eruption from a newly discovered hotspot region, estimated to be larger than Lake Superior on Earth. Juno captured the event using its infrared instrument, JIRAM, which detected an extreme amount of heat coming from the hotspot.
The eruption was so powerful that it saturated JIRAM's detector, indicating that it was the most intense volcanic eruption ever recorded on Io. The data suggests that the eruption was likely caused by a subsurface magma chamber system.
Juno also captured images of the eruption using its JunoCam imager. These images show significant surface changes near Io's south pole, including new lava flows and volcanic plumes.
Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, due to the tidal forces exerted by Jupiter's immense gravity. These forces cause Io to be squeezed and stretched, which generates a tremendous amount of heat inside the moon. This heat drives Io's volcanoes, which erupt constantly, spewing lava and ash into space.
The recent volcanic event observed by Juno is a reminder of the incredible forces at work on Io. It also highlights the importance of studying Io, as it can help us to better understand the processes that shape planets and moons throughout the solar system.