NASA's Juno spacecraft detected the most intense volcanic eruption ever recorded on Jupiter's moon Io. During a flyby on December 27, 2024, Juno was approximately 74,400 kilometers from Io's surface when its Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument captured an infrared emission of great intensity.
"This is the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on the most volcanic world in our solar system—so that's really saying something," said Scott Bolton, the principal investigator of the Juno mission, according to Space.com. "Although each flyby has provided us with amazing data, this last one left us speechless. We are witnessing the most intense volcanic event ever recorded in the volcanic world of our solar system."
Io, one of Jupiter's four Galilean moons, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system, boasting over 400 active volcanoes that erupt continuously. These eruptions produce six times more energy than the total output of all power stations on Earth, according to Marca. The volcanic hotspot discovered during Juno's recent flyby generates a power well above 80,000 trillion watts, releasing energy six times greater than that generated by all the power plants on Earth combined.
The volcanic activity on Io is primarily driven by its position within Jupiter's gravitational field. Jupiter's gravity generates tidal forces on Io, causing tidal flexing that heats the moon's interior through friction. "These extreme tidal forces squash and squeeze Io, leading to persistent volcanic activity across its 400 volcanoes and causing friction-related heating in the moon's interior," reported Science Alert.
"JIRAM detected an extreme infrared radiation event, a massive hotspot, in the southern hemisphere of Io, so strong that it saturated our detector," said Alessandro Mura, a researcher on the Juno mission. "This suggests a vast system of magma chambers beneath the surface."
Juno has been closely monitoring Jupiter and its moons since 2016, performing multiple flybys that have revealed new information about these celestial bodies. The spacecraft is scheduled for another flyby of Io on March 3 to re-examine the hotspot and track surface changes.
"Io's volcanic activity results in plumes of gas and ash that fill its atmosphere, and the lava eruptions carry these materials, painting its surface and creating dunes formed by lava flows," reported scimag.news.
The recent findings have also led to speculation about the existence of a subsurface magma ocean. "The upcoming flyby will reveal more about the hotspot's surface changes and the potential presence of a subsurface magma ocean, as Juno's data indicate these eruptions carry signs of a large underground magma chamber system," reported Space.com.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.