If life did ever develop on Io, there is a chance it might have survived to the present day, Schulze-Makuch suggested. Still, conditions on Io might have made it a friendlier habitat in the distant past. "Everyone right away tends to categorically exclude the possibility of life on Io," said astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch at Washington State University. In addition, no organic molecules have been detected on its surface, and it has only an extremely thin atmosphere devoid of detectable water vapor.
Io is generally considered a poor candidate for life because of all the radiation Jupiter blasts it with. This means Io is a land of both fire and ice. Although the heat near the volcanoes can reach some 3000 degrees F (1649 degrees C), high enough to keep lava liquid, Io's surface temperature averages at about negative 202 degrees F (-130 degrees C), leading to sulfur dioxide snowfields. This extreme activity is the result of Jupiter's powerful gravitational pull, which causes Io's tormented solid crust to bulge up and down 328 feet (100 meters) or more, generating intense heat in Io due to friction. However, its extraordinarily volcanic sibling Io might be a possible habitat as well.Ī bit larger than Earth's moon, Io is the innermost of Jupiter's large satellites and the most volcanically active body in the solar system, with plumes of matter rising up to 186 miles (300 km) above the surface. "By observing it over time on multiple passes, we can watch how the volcanoes vary - how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, whether they are linked to a group or solo, and if the shape of the lava flow changes.When it comes to where extraterrestrial life might dwell in our own solar system, Jupiter's moon Europa often grabs the spotlight. "Io is the most volcanic celestial body that we know of in our solar system," Bolton said in a statement. Speaking before Juno's last flyby of Io, which brought the craft to within 22,060 miles (35,500 km) of the Jovian moon’s surface, the mission's principal investigator Scott Bolton explained why the investigation of the volcanic body is heating up. These data, and those we collect on upcoming flybys, will be crucial to understanding the kind of volcanism that is occurring at Io." "Any volcanologist will tell you it is important to determine whether a lava lake has a stable source of material from an underground chamber. "The data show the lava could be bubbling to the surface in the northwest portion and creating a lava lake to the south and east," Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, Alessandro Mura, said. Massive, months-long volcanic eruption roils Jupiter's moon Io See Jupiter's volcanic moon Io glow red-hot in incredible images from NASA's Juno probe NASA's Juno probe finds giant swirling waves in Jupiter's magnetosphere Even before the last flyby of the volcanic moon on May 16, JIRAM, for instance, had been able to see hot spots across the Jovian satellite. JIRAM and Juno's other instruments are no strangers to Io's fiery temper.
Lava from Io's volcanoes can erupt dozens of miles (or km) upward, according to NASA. The effect of turning Io into a planetary stress toy gives rise to extreme volcanism, which makes the moon the most volcanically active body in the solar system. This cosmic tug of war gives rise to incredible tidal forces on the moon, stretching and squeezing Io while causing its surface to undulate in and out, resulting in uneven ground that can vary in height by as much as 330 feet (100 m). The gas giant's tremendous gravitational influence pulls on Io, and as it does this, the moon is also gravitationally tugged on by its fellow Jovian moons Europa - the solar system’s largest moon - and Ganymede. Io’s volcanism comes from the somewhat torturous relationship it has with Jupiter, largest planet in our solar system. How Jupiter turns Io into a fiery stress toy The day after Sunday's close fly-by of Io will be an important one for Juno, too, as Monday (July 31) will mark the beginning of its third year of extended operations. After its launch in 2011, the Juno probe arrived at the Jovian system in 2016 and has since been investigating Jupiter and its moons.
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