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In a remarkable discovery, scientists have recorded the largest volcanic eruption ever observed in our solar system, occurring on Jupiter's moon, Io. This extraordinary event took place near Io's south pole in late December of the previous year, as shared by researchers during the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly held in Vienna.
The eruption was captured by instruments aboard the Jupiter Near-polar Orbiter, commonly known as Juno. Launched in August 2011, the NASA spacecraft traveled approximately 2.8 billion kilometers over nearly five years to enter Jupiter's orbit. Currently, Juno is completing its 72nd orbit around the gas giant, as noted by NASA space physicist Scott Bolton from the Southwest Research Institute in Texas.
In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused their observations on Jupiter's moons, including Io, Europa, and Ganymede. Io, the third-largest of Jupiter's moons, has a diameter of 3,643 kilometers and is recognized as the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Through the use of an infrared camera on Juno, scientists have gained insights into the volcanic activity on Io, as explained by Alessandro Mura from NASA and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF).
The eruption observed in late 2024 was unexpected and is considered the most significant eruption ever documented on Io. Experts believe its magnitude rivals some of the largest eruptions recorded on Earth. The energy expelled during this eruption was estimated to be equivalent to the total energy consumption of humanity over an entire year, drawing parallels to the catastrophic Tambora eruption in Indonesia in 1815. Such colossal eruptions occur on Earth approximately every century, while similar events on Io may occur roughly every 20 years, according to Mura.
Additionally, this volcanic activity has contributed to a better understanding of the magma flows beneath Io's surprisingly thin crust. Numerous measurements from Juno indicate a network of chambers filled with hot, molten rock, interconnected by channels. Researchers have found that the molten material lies relatively close to the surface, contradicting earlier theories suggesting the existence of a global magma ocean beneath Io's crust, as noted by NASA researcher Shannon Brown from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Bolton expressed amazement at the ability to conduct such observations from such vast distances. He suggested that using microwave imaging techniques to peer beneath Earth's crust could offer new avenues for monitoring volcanic activity on our planet. However, the prospects for future updates from Jupiter and its moons may diminish soon, as the Juno mission is expected to conclude in September, following 14 years of service.
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