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Picture of the day -
February 25, 2007
Jupiter's Intriguing Moon Io
Photo courtesy of
NASA.
Virtually everyone on the planet knows that our earth has a moon
orbiting around it. After all, we need only look up on a clear night
to see it shining down on us in all its glory. But the earth isn't
the only planet in the universe with a moon. In fact, there are
several dozen moons in our own solar system, with over 60 of
them orbiting the the planet Jupiter alone!
It has long been known that Jupiter has multiple moons, but it's
impossible to tell just how many of them are orbiting the gas giant
by looking through even the most powerful earth-based telescopes.
But thanks to the
Hubble Space Telescope and the intrepid robotic explorer
Galileo, astronomers have now "discovered" all but the tiniest
of Jupiter's natural satellites.
Today's picture features Io, one of the most interesting of
Jupiter's moons and perhaps the most beautiful of all the moons in
the solar system. What makes Io so intriguing is the hundreds of
volcanoes that dot the surface, two of which can be seen emitting
blue sulfurous plumes (one at the top of the moon, the other in the
middle near the light/dark dividing line). It is quite clear that Io
is one of the most geologically active bodies in our solar system.
As technology continues to advance, we can surely look forward to
sharper, more detailed images of objects that are ever more distant
from our earthly vantage point. And perhaps some day we'll even be
able to visit some of these exotic locales in person. After all, we
have already landed men on our own moon, so it should certainly be
possible to visit some of our other "neighbors" when our technology
catches up with our ambition. Until then, we can look at these
amazing pictures and dream...
About the photo: This amazing composite image was assembled from
photos taken by the Galileo spacecraft during its eight years in
orbit around the planet Jupiter.
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