ETV Bharat / technologyNASA's Juno Probe Detects Subsurface Heating On Jupiter's Volcanic Moon IoThe north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io was captured by NASA’s Juno during the spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023.
( Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt )Hyderabad: The National Aeronautical and Space Administration's (NASA) Juno spacecraft has provided the first measurements of temperatures beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing significant heating within its shallow subsurface.
It is powered by tidal heating, which occurs as Jupiter's immense gravity constantly stretches and squeezes the moon along its slightly elliptical orbit.
Scott Bolton, the study's coauthor explained that the MWR directly observed Io's heat output by looking beneath its surface.
During Juno's extended mission, the instrument also observed two other Galilean moons, Ganymede and Europa, though Bolton noted that probing Io's volcanic rock was an unexpected addition to that work.
ETV Bharat / technology
NASA's Juno Probe Detects Subsurface Heating On Jupiter's Volcanic Moon Io
The north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io was captured by NASA’s Juno during the spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023. Data from that flyby and one on Feb. 3, 2024, is helping scientists understand Io’s interior. ( Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Gerald Eichstädt )
Hyderabad: The National Aeronautical and Space Administration's (NASA) Juno spacecraft has provided the first measurements of temperatures beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Io, revealing significant heating within its shallow subsurface.
According to a study titled "Io Sub-Surface Temperature Profile Observed by the Juno Microwave Radiometer" in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, the data gathered during two close flybys shows that most of Io's surface is incredibly smooth and made of unusually low-density material.
How is Io's internal heat generated?
Io is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. It is powered by tidal heating, which occurs as Jupiter's immense gravity constantly stretches and squeezes the moon along its slightly elliptical orbit. This process generates an internal heat output many times greater than Earth's. Until now, virtually everything known about this heat came from infrared observations, which can only detect surface temperatures. The latest findings were derived from data collected by Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) instrument.
Scott Bolton, the study's coauthor explained that the MWR directly observed Io's heat output by looking beneath its surface. "The surprising discovery that we could see below a rocky moon’s surface has important implications for studying Earth’s volcanoes. Juno has taught us that if we look with an MWR-type instrument near a volcano on Earth, we might see a similar signature in the subsurface temperature gradient, providing new information on how terrestrial volcanoes work,” he added.
The MWR was originally designed to peer beneath Jupiter's cloud tops and study the dynamics of its deep atmosphere. Its six microwave antennas detect wavelengths ranging from roughly half an inch to 20 inches, with each wavelength capable of probing different depths. During Juno's extended mission, the instrument also observed two other Galilean moons, Ganymede and Europa, though Bolton noted that probing Io's volcanic rock was an unexpected addition to that work.
