What is the surface of Io?

What is the surface of Io?

Unlike most moons in the outer Solar System, which are mostly composed of water ice, Io is primarily composed of silicate rock surrounding a molten iron or iron sulfide core. Most of Io’s surface is composed of extensive plains with a frosty coating of sulfur and sulfur dioxide.

Is there an atmosphere on Io?

Sulfur dioxide is the primary constituent of a thin atmosphere on Io. It has no water to speak of, unlike the other, colder Galilean moons. Data from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that an iron core may form Io’s center, thus giving Io its own magnetic field.

Is Io solid?

On Io, the gravity of Jupiter and Jupiter’s other large moons yank on Io every which way. Although there are no oceans on Io, its “solid ground” tides are more than five times as high as the highest ocean tides on Earth! All this bending causes heat to build up inside Io.

Does Io have liquid water?

Characteristics of Io Io’s heat, combined with the possibility that there was water on Io shortly after it was formed, could have made life possible, although Jupiter’s radiation would have removed the water from the surface. The moon’s most distinctive features are its volcanoes.

Can life survive Io?

Io is generally considered a poor candidate for life because of all the radiation Jupiter blasts it with. In addition, no organic molecules have been detected on its surface, and it has only an extremely thin atmosphere devoid of detectable water vapor.

Is Io a hot moon?

Jupiter’s moon Io is 778 million kilometers from the Sun. Except at its volcanic hot spots, Io’s surface temperature is well below freezing. This temperature is approximately 3 times the hottest surface temperature on Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. …

What is the orbital period of Io?

Io has an orbital period of 42.5 hours, which means the moon orbits with such speed that amateur astronomers can actually observe its motions in a single night.

Who discovered the moon Io?

Io was the first discovered moon after Earth’s moon. Galileo Galilei discovered Io on January 8th, 1610 and the discovery, along with the three other Jovian moons Europa, Ganymede and Callisto , were the first moons discovered that were orbiting a planet other than Earth. Technically, Galileo discovered Io the night before,…

Is Io a moon of Jupiter?

Io, Moon of Jupiter. Io is a Moon that orbits round the planet Jupiter. Its mass is estimated/calculated at being 89,319,379,731,108,900,000,000 kg. Its density has been calculated at being 3.528. Its volume is 25319064907. It was discovered in the year 1610 by Galileo Galilei .

What is Io the Moon?

Io (moon) Io is a moon of the planet Jupiter. It is Jupiter’s third biggest moon with a diameter of 3642 km, being slightly bigger than Earth’s moon. Io has about 400 active volcanos.