by Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanic world in the solar system, was imaged from just 7,260 miles away.
Io is the fifth most distant moon from Jupiter, orbiting at an average distance of 262,000 miles (422,000 kilometers), and the third-largest Jovian moon, at slightly larger than Earth's moon, according to Space.com. (It's smaller than Ganymede and Callisto, but bigger than Europa.)
Io is covered in volcanoes, with about 100 times greater volcanic activity than Earth's, according to NASA.
The cause is tidal friction; Io is tidally locked to Jupiter, always showing the planet the same side, yet its orbital path is elliptical because of the gravitational pull of both Europa and Ganymede, according to NASA. As Io bulges in and out, the friction creates heat.
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Io is the fifth most distant moon from Jupiter, orbiting at an average distance of 262,000 miles (422,000 kilometers), and the third-largest Jovian moon, at slightly larger than Earth's moon, according to Space.com. (It's smaller than Ganymede and Callisto, but bigger than Europa.)
Io is covered in volcanoes, with about 100 times greater volcanic activity than Earth's, according to NASA.
The cause is tidal friction; Io is tidally locked to Jupiter, always showing the planet the same side, yet its orbital path is elliptical because of the gravitational pull of both Europa and Ganymede, according to NASA. As Io bulges in and out, the friction creates heat.
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