Stunning photo of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is our best in decades [View all]
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2397874-stunning-photo-of-jupiters-volcanic-moon-io-is-our-best-in-decades/
Stunning photo of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is our best in decades
NASA's Juno spacecraft has swooped close to Jupiter's moon Io, capturing this amazing photo of the surface and even better ones will come soon
By Matthew Sparkes
17 October 2023
NASAs Juno spacecraft has taken the best images of Jupiters moon Io in decades, as it passed by at a distance of 11,645 kilometres on 16 October.
Io is slightly larger than Earths moon and mottled with more than 400 active volcanoes. The shadows of these peaks some of which are thought to be taller than Mount Everest can be made out in the latest image, which is shown in enhanced colour.
Even closer images of Io are expected from Juno in coming months as its current orbit takes it successively nearer to the moon with each pass. In February 2024, it is expected to swoop to within 1500 kilometres of Ios surface.
The craft was launched in 2011, entered Jupiters orbit in 2016 and has been investigating the planet and its many moons ever since.
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