NASA has just made an unbelievable discovery in the space, it is a gigantic lava lake – we discover why it should not be there. The space company shared a video and images of the lake. The images are captured through a spacecraft camera known as JunoCam.
NASA finds giant lava lake on planet Jupiter
According to CNN and BBC, close flybys of Io, known as one of Jupiter’s moons and the most volcanically active world in our solar system, recently discovered that there is a lava lake and a giant feature called “Steeple Mountain” on the moon’s alien surface.
The spacecraft, Juno, initially touched down to research about Jupiter and its moons back in 2016. The spacecraft’s journey reached 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the lava world’s surface in December and February to capture the first detailed images of Io’s northern latitudes.
It is also reported that it has been more than two decades since a mission flew so closely by Io, and the spacecraft’s camera, called JunoCam. These two cameras or image-capturing devices snapped high-resolution images that showcased active volcanic plumes, mountain peaks as well as a glass-smooth lake of cooling lava.
How does lava lake look like?
Per a statement and observation from Juno’s principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute, Scott Bolton said “Io is simply littered with volcanoes, and we caught a few of them in action.
“We also got some great close-ups and other data on a 200-kilometer-long (127-mile-long) lava lake called Loki Patera. There is amazing detail showing these crazy islands embedded in the middle of a potential magma lake rimmed with hot lava.
“The specular reflection our instruments recorded of the lake suggests parts of Io’s surface are as smooth as glass, reminiscent of volcanically created obsidian glass on Earth.”
Moreover, the principal investigator added that the new data is painting a clearer portrait of Io, which has intrigued scientists for centuries.
“Other than the Earth, it’s the only place that we see active magma volcanoes going on in our solar system,” Bolton said.
How did NASA detect the mountain on Jupiter?
Using the JunoCam, the space crew managed to detect the mountain with the help of the sun shining on Io’s surface, which created dramatic shadows that revealed a very sharp peak.
Despite the temperature of the magma on Io amounting to thousands of degrees, the surface of the moon is likely minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 100 degrees Celsius).
“We used the scientific data to understand the shadows and measure the distance. It may not be perfectly right, but this is sort of what it would be like if you went there. We call this Steeple Mountain, because it’s so steep there at the edge, it may be Io’s version of the Matterhorn,” added the principal investigator.
“When the magma comes out as a volcano goes off, it immediately freezes and probably makes sulfur snow.”
In creating the maps on Io’s surface, NASA’s crew or the mission team used Juno’s Microwave Radiometer instrument, thus showing how incredibly smooth it is.
First discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, Io is just slightly larger than our moon, but it’s unlike anywhere else in the solar system.
In conclusion, the crew discovered that the rocky moon’s surface is covered with hundreds of volcanoes, drawing comparisons to the fictional volcanic planet Mustafar and its rivers of lava from the “Star Wars” films.
Scientists have observed Io’s powerful volcanoes spewing lava fountains that are dozens of miles high and can even be seen with large telescopes on Earth, according to the space and aeronautics company, NASA.