Update (2021): They now claim there are 79 moons orbiting this big gas planet. Well, this blog entry is about 6 years old, so I guess they have found 12 more since I originally posted this. It doesn't really matter, though, as the 4 main (largest) moons are: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The other 75 satellites that orbit Jupiter (along with the rings) only make up 0.003% of the total orbiting mass. Yeah, if those 4 main satellites could talk, they would look at all the other 75 and say, "It looks like you are suffering from a moon deficiency." Ha!
---End of Update
What makes Io different, is that it is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. It is one crazed, volcanic hell with (at the time I'm writing this) over 400 active volcanoes in an area slightly bigger than our own Moon! Speaking of that, Io is the 4th largest moon in our solar system while our Moon is the 5th largest.
Why is Io so angry? Well, it spins around Jupiter really fast and, like our Moon, it has a locked orbit with the same side always facing the planet. Each trip Io takes around Jupiter, it is tormented by the tidal pull of Jupiter's extreme gravity. The surface of Io will bulge forward when close to Jupiter, then settle back down as it gets further away. This causes a lot of friction and great heat from the movement of Io's rock/metal interior structure. This, in turn, powers these insane volcanoes that spew wildly into the air on a regular basis. Would you like to visit Io any time soon? Ha!
Image Credit: Is in the Public Domain because it was solely created by NASA.
---End of Post "Io: Crazy Volcanic Moon of Jupiter "
What makes Io different, is that it is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. It is one crazed, volcanic hell with (at the time I'm writing this) over 400 active volcanoes in an area slightly bigger than our own Moon! Speaking of that, Io is the 4th largest moon in our solar system while our Moon is the 5th largest.
Why is Io so angry? Well, it spins around Jupiter really fast and, like our Moon, it has a locked orbit with the same side always facing the planet. Each trip Io takes around Jupiter, it is tormented by the tidal pull of Jupiter's extreme gravity. The surface of Io will bulge forward when close to Jupiter, then settle back down as it gets further away. This causes a lot of friction and great heat from the movement of Io's rock/metal interior structure. This, in turn, powers these insane volcanoes that spew wildly into the air on a regular basis. Would you like to visit Io any time soon? Ha!
Image Credit: Is in the Public Domain because it was solely created by NASA.
---End of Post "Io: Crazy Volcanic Moon of Jupiter "
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