dipper@utastro.UUCP (Debbie Byrd) (03/08/86)
Jupiter's moon Io has active volcanos. More on how they were discovered -- after this. March 8 Volcanos on Io Since the dawn of the space age, scientists hoped for the discovery of a world besides Earth that would be geologically active. On this date in the year 1979, they found one. It was the satellite of Jupiter known as Io. The Voyager spacecraft photographed Io, in its flight past Jupiter seven years ago. The discovery of volcanos on Io was made by Linda Morabito, a member of the Voyager optical navigation team. In a routine check of some photographs, Morabito noticed a mushroom-shaped feature extending above Io's surface. The feature turned out to be a plume of dust and gas, expelled from an active volcano. Even as Voyager sped past Io, that world's volcanos were in the process of erupting. The number and force of the volcanos prompted Voyager scientists to point out that Io isn't just an active world -- it's even more active than Earth. The volcanic ash spews up so powerfully that it's comparable to bullets shot from high-powered rifles. It would be interesting to land a spacecraft on Io. But that possibility may not be within the realm of present technology. Jupiter's magnetic field bathes Io in deadly radiation. We don't know for sure, but a landing craft may have its electronic equipment deadened by this intense bombardment. Still, Io's volcanos might help us learn more about the geologic history of the Earth. It makes Io one of the most fascinating worlds in the solar system -- even if it is a world where humans or their spacecraft may never go. Script by Deborah Byrd. (c) Copyright 1985, 1986 McDonald Observatory, University of Texas at Austin