APOD 1.6

"Io in True Color" (October 3,2010)

This astronomy picture was taken by the Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter from 1995-2003. What makes this picture interesting is that, it was taken so this is how Io would look if we were able to see it. Io is one of Jupiter's moons. Io has many volcanoes all over its surface. This is why the moon is yellow. The sulfur and molten silicate rock that are created by the erupting volcanoes have a yellowy color which is why Io is yellow. The many volcanoes on the moon are mostly cause by the friction from the tidal force between Io and Jupiter's other moons. This friction heats up the molten rock and inside of the moon which causes the volcanoes to explode. Erupting volcanoes are very common on this moon. Just looking at the picture, I believe the many black spots on the moon are where there are or were recent volcanic activity. The constant eruption and creation of sulfur and silicate rock makes the moon look very beaten up, scarred with the unappealing yellowish color. I did not know that volcanoes could be cause by the tidal gravity between other moons. This just shows how strong gravity can really be, but I can see how eruptions are so common because I can easily relate it to my experience with ceramics. If we make a sculpture, we have to hollow it out. If we don't make an escape hole to let the hot air escape when it's in the kiln, the trapped air will get hotter than the air outside and will expand causing the piece to explode. It doesn't really require a lot to cause an eruption.