We Might Have Massively Underestimated Io's Thermal Output

We Might Have Massively Underestimated Io's Thermal Output
By Andy Tomaswick (https://ift.tt/ytC3uYc)

Io is a world of extremes. It is by far the most volcanically active world in our solar system. Being continually squeezed in the never-ending tug-of-war between Jupiter and its larger satellites will do that to a moon. As a result, Io has over 400 “paterae” - volcanic depressions that spew lava up onto its surface. And, according to a new paper available in pre-print on arXiv and utilizing data from Juno’s Jupiter InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) tool, we have been massively underestimating the power output of those paterae for decades.

May 4, 2026 at 09:55PM
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