PIA00023: Io - Full Disk


Io - Full Disk

Caption:

This full-disk image of Jupiter's satellite Io was made from several frames taken by Voyager 1 on March 4, 1979, as the spacecraft neared the satellite. Io is about 862,000 kilometers (500,000 miles) away here. A variety of features can be seen in the photo that appear linked to the intense volcanic activity on Io: the circular, donut-shaped feature in the center has been identified with a known erupting volcano; other, similar features can be seen across the face of the satellite. Io's volcanic activity appears to be of at least two general kinds -- explosive eruptions that spew material into the sky as much as 250 kilometers (160 miles) altitude; and lava that flows from vents across the surface. Io is the first body in the solar system (beyond Earth) where active volcanism has been observed.

Background Info:

The Voyager Project is managed and controlled for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Io
System Jupiter
Target Type Satellite
Mission Voyager
Instrument Host Cassini Orbiter Voyager 1
Host Type Orbiter Flyby Spacecraft
Instrument Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Volcano
Acquisition Date
Release Date 1996-01-29
Date in Caption 1979-03-04
Image Credit NASA/JPL
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00023
Identifier PIA00023