A big volcanic outburst on Io
The Planetary Science Institute said yesterday (January 3, 2023) that astronomer Jeff Morgenthaler found a big volcanic outburst on Jupiter’s moon Io final fall. It was the biggest but, he mentioned. Morgenthaler has been remotely working a brand new observatory he arrange in 2017, within the desert close to Tucson, Arizona. His purpose is to watch adjustments in volcanic exercise on Io. He has seen some type of outburst almost yearly, however the outburst of northern hemisphere autumn, 2022, was the biggest thus far. Morgenthaler said his observations may be reproduced by any bold beginner astronomer.
Io is the innermost of Jupiter’s 4 massive moons and is essentially the most volcanically lively physique in our photo voltaic system. It orbits so near Jupiter that it’s topic to gravitational stresses – or tidal forces – from the large planet. Basically, Jupiter squeezes Io like a rubber ball, creating Io’s volcanoes.
Morgenthaler was utilizing the Planetary Science Institute’s IoIO observatory. NASA and the Nationwide Science Basis present the funding for IoIO, which stands for Io Enter/Output. Morgenthaler commented:
One of many thrilling issues about these observations is that they are often reproduced by virtually any small school or bold beginner astronomer. Virtually the entire components used to construct IoIO can be found at a high-end digital camera store or telescope retailer.
How IoIO works
The Planetary Society explained:
IoIO makes use of a coronagraphic method which dims the sunshine coming from Jupiter to allow imaging of faint gases close to the very shiny planet. A brightening of two of those gases, sodium and ionized sulfur, started between July and September 2022 and lasted till December 2022. The ionized sulfur, which types a donut-like construction that encircles Jupiter and known as the Io plasma torus, was curiously not almost as shiny on this outburst as beforehand seen.
Morgenthaler explained:
This may very well be telling us one thing in regards to the composition of the volcanic exercise that produced the outburst or it may very well be telling us that the torus is extra environment friendly at ridding itself of fabric when extra materials is thrown into it.
Morgenthaler’s work includes finding out adjustments in volcanic exercise on Io to measure properties of Jupiter’s magnetosphere. A serious purpose of the undertaking is to study why ionized materials from Io sticks near Jupiter, somewhat than being flung out by Jupiter’s fast rotation.
What these observations imply for Juno
Whereas Morgenthaler has been scrutinizing Io from the bottom, NASA’s Juno mission has been finding out Jupiter from orbit. Juno has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016. Juno flew previous Jupiter’s second moon outward, Europa, through the latest Io outburst. It’s steadily approaching Io for an in depth flyby December 2023. The Planetary Society said:
A number of of Juno’s devices are delicate to adjustments within the plasma surroundings round Jupiter and Io that may be traced on to the kind of volcanic exercise noticed by IoIO.
So, Juno’s measurements may be capable to inform us if this volcanic outburst had a distinct composition than earlier ones.
Extra IoIOs?
Morgenthaler mentioned having a number of copies of IoIO working some other place could be very useful in avoiding climate gaps and will doubtlessly present extra time protection every evening of Jupiter’s extremely dynamic Io plasma torus and sodium nebula. He said:
It could be nice to see one other IoIO come on line earlier than Juno will get to Jupiter subsequent December.
Along with observing the Jovian sodium nebula, IoIO additionally observes Mercury’s sodium tail, shiny comets and transiting extra-solar planets.
Visit this page to see a short video of IoIO images
Backside line: An astronomer utilizing a remotely operated telescope within the desert close to Tuscon, Arizona, has been monitoring Io’s volcanoes. In fall 2022, he noticed his largest outburst but!
