Fact Sheet
Deadly Moon
Patches of hot lava and sulfur-rich minerals fill a volcano known as Tupan Patera on Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. This and hundreds of other volcanoes belch gas far above Io's surface. Jupiter's powerful magnetic field sweeps up some of the gas and gives it an electric charge, adding to the giant planet's deadly radiation belts. This volcano, which was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft, is about 50 miles wide. The dark patches are actually warm molten rock, while the red and yellow contain various mixtures of sulfur, which may condense as volcanic ash and gas falls back to the surface. [NASA/JP/Univ. Arizona]
|