Io
Jupiter’s volcanic moon
Io is one of Jupiter’s moons. Look at its unusual yellow surface, with orange and dark patches. Materials thrown out by volcanoes make these colours. Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System. Melted rock reaches its surface, and enormous plumes rise high above this remarkable little moon.
Why is Io so warm inside? Jupiter and nearby moons keep pulling it in different directions. Io changes shape a little, and its inside heats up. It is a bit like warming soft material by kneading it. Spacecraft photograph eruptions and watch the surface change. Io is very different from our quiet Moon!
Help Io get home → Explore in the planetarium →In the planetarium you can spin this world and look at it from every side.
Artist’s impression · the surface is an illustration.
Sources and images
Celestial maps: Solar System Scope / INOVE · CC BY 4.0. Thumbnails were reduced and shaded. Artistic SVG maps were created for this project.