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Huge lava waves spotted on Jupiter moon Io
Astronomers have detected two massive lava waves sweeping around the largest lava lake on Jupiter moon Io. Taking advantage of a rare orbital alignment between two of Jupiter\'s moons, Io and Europa, the researchers obtained an exceptionally detailed map of the largest lava lake on Io, which is also the volcanically most active body in the solar system.
​New York: Astronomers have detected two massive lava waves sweeping around the largest lava lake on Jupiter moon Io.
Taking advantage of a rare orbital alignment between two of Jupiter's moons, Io and Europa, the researchers obtained an exceptionally detailed map of the largest lava lake on Io, which is also the volcanically most active body in the solar system.
The most active volcanic site on Io, Loki Patera, is about 200 km across. The hot region of the patera -- a bowl-shaped volcanic crater -- has a surface area of 21,500 square km.
"This is the first useful map of the entire patera," said study co-author Ashley Davies of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
"It shows not one but two resurfacing waves sweeping around the patera. This is much more complex than what was previously thought," Davies said. On March 8, 2015, Europa passed in front of Io, gradually blocking out light from the volcanic moon.
Because Europa's surface is coated in water ice, it reflects very little sunlight at infrared wavelengths, allowing researchers to accurately isolate the heat emanating from volcanoes on Io's surface.
The infrared data showed that the surface temperature of Io's massive molten lake steadily increased from one end to the other, suggesting that the lava had overturned in two waves that each swept from west to east at about a kilometre per day.
