Images of strange landscapes of Jupiter’s moon Io captured (VIDEO)

Based on the data obtained, NASA artists created animations of two strange objects on Io: a lake of hot magma and an amazing mountain.

The moon Io is considered the most volcanically active body in the solar system. There are over 400 volcanoes recorded on it, a significant part of which are active. Close flights make it possible to assess the degree of volcanic activity and map it.

Io also differs from other large satellites of Jupiter in its more or less flat landscape and temperature difference at the equator and in the polar regions. On Io’s last close flyby, for example, Juno captured the moon’s south pole for the first time.

“Io is absolutely littered with volcanoes, and we’ve seen several of them in action,” said a program representative at the European Geophysical Union General Assembly in Vienna. “We also got some great close-up images and other data regarding the 200-kilometer (127-mile) long Loki Patera lava lake.” Amazing details show these crazy islands located in the middle of a potentially magmatic lake surrounded by hot lava. “The specular reflection of the lake captured by our instruments suggests that parts of Io’s surface are smooth like glass, reminiscent of the obsidian glass created by volcanoes on Earth.”

The Juno probe flies in orbit around Jupiter. Studying Io can be considered a bonus, while NASA mainly monitors the giant planet. It is believed that Jupiter was the first planet to form in the solar system. This makes it a valuable subject for study, which will help understand the evolution of both the system and other planets. In particular, scientists are concerned regarding the issue of water content in the atmosphere and in the bowels of the planet.

Juno will make its next flyby of Jupiter on May 12.