Latest news with #ScottBolton
Forbes
07-05-2025
- Science
- Forbes
NASA's Spacecraft Reveals Io To Be A Hellishly Active Volcanic Moon
Io, one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter, as seen by the Galileo probe, circa 1997. (Photo by ... More Space Frontiers/) Getty Images New data from NASA's Juno $1.2 billion spacecraft now in orbit around Jupiter reveals that the massive planet's Galilean moon of Io has recently undergone the most massive eruptions ever observed in our solar system. Only about the size of our own moon, Io is much hotter and more volcanically active than the Juno team could have ever imagined. There's nothing in our solar system that we've seen that has so many volcanoes all going off at the same time, continuously, hundreds of them, Scott Bolton, principal investigator of NASA's Juno at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, tells me at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna. Io has volcanoes all over the place, he says. Juno was able to accomplish a couple of totally new things. Because we were in a polar orbit, we saw the poles of Io for the first time and there were volcanoes all over both poles, says Bolton. There were multiple eruptions around the same area over the South Pole which suggested that maybe there was one reservoir that somehow got active, and a few eruptions all happened at the same time, he says. Io is in orbit around Jupiter, but it's far from a perfectly circular orbit. On one side of the orbit, it's a little bit closer to Jupiter than on the other side, says Bolton. Jupiter is pulling on the side that's closest to it a little bit more than the side that's far away from it and distorts its spherical shape, he says. So, Io itself is constantly being gravitationally squeezed by Jupiter, causing Io's insides to become very hot and molten and eventually erupt, says Bolton. Why is studying such a volcanic, eruptive moon like Io important? Here's this moon that's constantly spewing out volcanoes, says Bolton. By studying Io, he says, we can learn about the volcanoes here on the earth, what's similar, what's different, what are the conditions that cause these things? On 30 December 2023, the Juno spacecraft, exploring the Jovian system, approached the volcanic moon ... More Io at a distance of just 1500 km (930 miles). A similar encounter is scheduled to take place on 3 February 2024. The probe is monitoring the moon's volcanic activity getty No spacecraft has ever gone into this hazardous, high-radiation environment; the real danger is near Jupiter where we're in this elliptical, polar orbit, says Bolton. But Juno got within 1500 km above Io's surface, he says. One reason the mission is a challenge is the nature of the planet Jupiter itself. Jupiter is more massive than all the other planets in our solar system put together, says Bolton. It's got the strongest magnetic field, largest gravity field and the most ferocious aurorae, including the harshest radiation belts in the entire solar system, he says. Then sitting in the same system is another extreme object, Io, which is the most volcanic body in the solar system, says Bolton. Lava Lakes We're possibly seeing lakes of lava, possibly that are kind of crusted over, like you see in Hawaii when lava flows get crusted over and look dark, says Bolton. People walk on them, even though it's quite dangerous, because underneath is unbelievably hot lava, he says. Juno's data suggests that about 10 percent of Io's surface has these remnants of slowly cooling lava just below the surface, says NASA. As for the overall mission's success? Even though the mission had some minor hiccups, it's been a grand success. Once we got there, we saw some symptoms with the rocket motor and its fuel that made us a little nervous about whether we should fire that or not, says Bolton. We were in an orbit that would work; it was just a longer orbit and so we decided not to fire the engine and just stay in that 53-day orbit, he says. One of Juno's ten active instruments, the Microwave Radiometer (MWR) was specifically invented for the mission. We're looking at maybe flying one of these instruments right here on Earth to study our own volcanoes, says Bolton. This microwave radiometer was invented for the Juno mission to look below the cloud tops of Jupiter and understand its composition, the dynamics of its storms, he says. But when we pointed at Io, somewhat serendipitously, it allowed us to see into the rock and lava to provide the first real look inside of the moon's subsurface structure, says Bolton. A further extension notwithstanding, this coming September Juno will end its current extended mission. Launched in 2011, the spacecraft arrived at Jupiter in 2016 and has been scientifically prolific ever since. The mission represents the best of NASA ingenuity. One of the greatest things that we've been able to do as humans is figure out how to navigate around the planets and stars, says Bolton. I'm totally amazed that we're able to robotically visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and once there, go into orbit and navigate around their moons, just like driving down to the gas station, he says. In one sense, we're navigating by the stars in the same way we used to do with ancient ships, but now we're navigating between bodies of the solar system, says Bolton. Forbes How Jupiter Helped Spawn Life On Earth By Bruce Dorminey
Saba Yemen
05-05-2025
- Science
- Saba Yemen
NASA's Juno Probe reveals new secrets about Jupiter & its Volcanic Moon Io
Washington - Saba: NASA's Juno spacecraft has uncovered fascinating new details about Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io. By peering beneath Jupiter's dense cloud cover and below Io's surface, scientists have developed a more detailed model of the fast-moving jet stream around Jupiter's north pole. Simultaneously, they achieved a groundbreaking milestone by mapping subsurface temperatures on Io, revealing crucial insights into its internal structure and ongoing volcanic activity. At Jupiter's north pole, Juno found massive storms—some as large as Australia—raging amid winds reaching 160 km/h. These discoveries came after analyzing years of data, which also revealed long-term movements of a giant polar cyclone surrounded by eight other cyclones. On Io, the most volcanically active moon in the solar system, Juno detected lava flows still retaining heat just beneath the surface crust. These findings, presented on April 29 at the European Geosciences Union General Assembly in Vienna, will help scientists better understand heat transfer mechanisms in planets and moons, influencing weather, volcanic activity, and surface evolution. Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator, stated: "As Juno's orbit shifts into new regions of Jupiter's complex system, we're getting a closer look at the immense energy of this gas giant." The team also observed a volcanic eruption on Io during a December 2024 flyby—the most active in the moon's history—which continued spewing lava and ash until at least March 2. Surprisingly, while Io's outer crust is cooled, data shows that 10% of its subsurface contains molten lava, explaining its constant surface renewal. Shannon Brown, a Juno team scientist, explained: "Io's volcanoes, lava fields, and underground flows act like a car's radiator, efficiently transferring heat from the interior to the surface, cooling itself in the vacuum of space." During a recent flyby, Juno used radio occultation to send signals through Jupiter's thick atmosphere, revealing that the north pole's air is about 11°C cooler than surrounding areas. Unlike Earth's hurricanes, Jupiter's polar storms remain in a chaotic yet organized pattern, with cyclones slowly orbiting a central storm. Studying Jupiter's weather, internal dynamics, and moons can enhance our understanding of Earth. Computer models simulating planetary weather systems rely on universal physics, and Juno's observations help refine these models. Juno will make another close flyby of Io on May 6, passing within 88,500 km to determine if the massive eruption is still active. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
United News of India
01-05-2025
- Science
- United News of India
NASA Juno mission reveals volcanic action on Jupiter's moon Io
Los Angeles, May 1 (UNI) New data from NASA's Juno mission has shed light on the dynamic atmosphere of Jupiter and the volcanic activity on its fiery moon Io, according to the agency. The Juno spacecraft has gathered new findings by probing beneath Jupiter's cloud-shrouded atmosphere and studying Io's surface. The data has led to the development of a new model to better understand the fast-moving jet streams that encircle Jupiter's cyclone-covered north pole. In addition, for the first time, scientists have mapped Io's subsurface temperature profile, providing critical information about the moon's internal structure and volcanic behavior, according to findings released by mission team on Tuesday. "As Juno's orbit takes us to new regions of Jupiter's complex system, we're getting a closer look at the immensity of energy this gas giant wields," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of the Juno mission. Juno was launched Aug. 5, 2011, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, after a five-year, 1,740-million-mile journey. The mission is designed to explore the origin and evolution of Jupiter, the solar system, and giant planets across the cosmos. UNI XINHUA GNK
India Today
30-04-2025
- Science
- India Today
Nasa's Juno flies past Io, captures the moon glowing from volcanic explosions
Nasa Juno spacecraft, which is orbiting around Jupiter, recently flew past its moon Io and what it saw was something out of a sci-fi film. The spacecraft captured Io glowing from volcanic explosions that have battered its from Jovian orbiter reveals volcanic action on Jupiter's moon Io as seen in infrared and also sheds light on the fierce winds and cyclones of Jupiter's only has the data helped develop a new model to better understand the fast-moving jet stream that encircles Jupiter's cyclone-festooned north pole, it's also revealed for the first time the subsurface temperature profile of Io, providing insights into the moon's inner structure and volcanic #JunoMission gets under Io's skin: New data from our Jovian orbiter reveals volcanic action on Jupiter's moon Io (seen here in infrared) and also sheds light on the fierce winds and cyclones of Jupiter's atmosphere. NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) April 29, 2025 'Everything about Jupiter is extreme. The planet is home to gigantic polar cyclones bigger than Australia, fierce jet streams, the most volcanic body in our solar system, the most powerful aurora, and the harshest radiation belts. As Juno's orbit takes us to new regions of Jupiter's complex system, we're getting a closer look at the immensity of energy this gas giant wields,' Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno combined the data from Juno's Microwave Radiometer (MWR) and Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) to make the data suggests that about 10% of the moon's surface has these remnants of slowly cooling lava just below the result may help provide insight into how the moon renews its surface so quickly as well as how heat moves from its deep interior to the team also determined that the most energetic eruption in Io's history (first identified by the infrared imager during Juno's Dec. 27, 2024, Io flyby) was still spewing lava and ash as recently as March 2. team's recent findings also focus on the cyclones that haunt Jupiter's north. Years of data from the JunoCam visible light imager and JIRAM have allowed Juno scientists to observe the long-term movement of Jupiter's massive northern polar cyclone and the eight cyclones that encircle it.
USA Today
06-02-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Jupiter moon of Io is famed for its volcanoes. NASA just spotted the most powerful one yet
Jupiter moon of Io is famed for its volcanoes. NASA just spotted the most powerful one yet Not only was the hot spot larger than Earth's Lake Superior, but it also was seen belching out eruptions six times the total energy of all the world's power plants combined. Show Caption Hide Caption NASA's Europa Clipper embarks on mission to one of Jupiter's moons NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft launched on a six-year journey to Jupiter's moon Europa to observe if life is possible on the icy ocean world. The hellish surface of a moon of Jupiter known as Io is riddled with hundreds of lava-spewing volcanoes that make the world one of chaos and violence. The brutal conditions also make Io intriguing to NASA scientists intent on learning more about the innermost and third-largest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons. For nine years, a spacecraft known as the Juno orbiter has divided its time between observing the gas giant of Jupiter and studying its moons, including Io. And on its third flyby of the celestial body, the orbiter struck gold. Though it was far from Juno's closest approach to Io, its flyby last December still led to a fascinating discovery: a massive volcanic hot spot on the moon's southern hemisphere. The volcanic activity spotted on a planet famed for such eruptions was special for two reasons: Not only was the hot spot larger than Earth's Lake Superior, but it also was seen belching out eruptions six times the total energy of all the world's power plants combined, NASA said in a press release. "This is the most powerful volcanic event ever recorded on the most volcanic world in our solar system," Scott Bolton, the mission's principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a statement. "So that's really saying something.' Black holes: Study finds black holes can 'cook' their own cosmic meals in space What to know about Jupiter's moon Io Though Io is not much larger than Earth's own moon, the two celestial bodies couldn't be more different. While our moon is relatively calm, Io is considered to be the most volcanically active world in our solar system. And while Earth, of course, has plenty of active volcanoes of its own, eruptions on the Jovian moon have attracted scientific interest because they are thought to be caused by very different factors. The rocky moon, which was first discovered by the ancient astronomer Galileo in 1610, is named for a mythological woman transformed into a cow during a marital dispute. Because Io is so close to its massive host planet, the moon is subjected to a tremendous gravitational pull as it orbits Jupiter once about every 42 hours, according to the Planetary Society. This at times pulls the moon closer to Jupiter, and it times pushes it farther away, weakening the planet's gravitational influence. The constant stretching and squeezing creates tidal forces that generate heat within the moon, keeping its subsurface crust in liquid magma form that seeks any available escape route to relieve the pressure. As a result, the hectic conditions are perfect for Io's approximately 400 active volcanoes to endlessly spew lava dozens of mile into the air exceeding temperatures of 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit. Mission scientists hope that by sending Juno on frequent visits to Io, they'll glean more insights into the complex conditions that can create volcanic activity on different worlds. NASA orbiter spots most active volcano yet on Io The third and latest flyby, which took place on Dec. 27, 2024, brought the Juno spacecraft within about 46,200 miles of the moon. Using an instrument known as the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) provided by the Italian Space Agency, Juno trained its sights on Io's southern hemisphere. The instrument is designed to capture the infrared light not visible to the naked eye emerging from deep inside Jupiter, as well as its moons – including not just Io, but Europa, where another orbiter, the Clipper, is bound. During the flyby, the JIRAM instrument detected a massive hot spot on Io's southern hemisphere "so strong that it saturated our detector,' Alessandro Mura, a Juno co-investigator from the National Institute for Astrophysics in Rome, said in a statement. The hot spot was later determined to in fact be several hot spots located close together that happened to emit at the same time, suggesting that the moon's subsurface is home to a vast magma chamber. "The data supports that this is the most intense volcanic eruption ever recorded on Io,' Mura added. The volcanic feature, which has yet to be named, spans a colossal 40,000 square miles – dwarfing Io's previous record holder, a lava lake named Loki Patera that measured about 7,700 square miles, according to NASA. What to know about the Juno spacecraft NASA's Juno spacecraft has been probing beneath Jupiter's dense clouds since it arrived in 2016 seeking answers about the origin and evolution of the gas giant. That mission, which is slated to end in September 2025, also extends to Jupiter's rings and many moons. Juno's trajectory passes by Io every other orbit, flying over the same part of the moon each time. In December 2023, Juno came within about 930 miles of Io's surface – equal the distance from New York City to Orlando, Florida. The craft's second ultra-close flyby of Io occurred last February, predominantly over the moon's southern hemisphere. While multiple spacecraft have visited the Jovian moon since the 1960s, those previous two flybys were the closest any had gotten to Io's surface since the Galileo probe made numerous close flybys in the 1990s and 2000s. Following the third and most recent flyby, Juno will use a more-distant flyby of Io on March 3 to look at the hot spot again and search for changes in the landscape. Earth-based observations of the region may also be possible, according to NASA. 'The intriguing feature could improve our understanding of volcanism not only on Io but on other worlds as well," Bolton said. Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@
