NASA’s Juno probe spots a massive new volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io
Reported by Andrew Jones
A comparison of JunoCam data from February 2024 with Galileo spacecraft imagery of the same area in November 1997 (grey) reveals a new volcanic feature on the surface of Io
Researchers have spotted a huge new active volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io by comparing images taken by two NASA missions more than a quarter of a century apart. The images of the new volcano were taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft and its JunoCam as it made a flyby of Io – the Solar System’s most volcanic body – on 3 February this year. The images were captured on the nightside of Io, illuminated only by reflected sunlight from Jupiter. A comparison with Galileo spacecraft imagery of the same area just south of Io’s equator, taken in November 1997, revealed that there was previously no volcanic feature in that location, meaning the vast feature and its after-effects have appeared at some point during the last 27 years.