Volcanic moon Io has molten interior
Posted: Fri, May 13, 2011, 6:51 AM ET (1051 GMT)
Planetary scientists have determined that Io, a large, volcanically-active moon of Jupiter, has a layer of molten or partially molten magma in its interior. In a paper published Thursday by the journal Science, scientists reported the discovery by studying the interaction between Io and Jupiter's magnetic field in data collected by NASA's now-defunct Galileo spacecraft. Researchers linked unexplained signatures in the data to electrical currents flowing through a layer of magma estimated to be over 50 kilometers thick beneath the surface. That magma can explain the high degree of volcanism on Io, which has 100 times the volcanic activity as the Earth.
Planetary scientists have determined that Io, a large, volcanically-active moon of Jupiter, has a layer of molten or partially molten magma in its interior. In a paper published Thursday by the journal Science, scientists reported the discovery by studying the interaction between Io and Jupiter's magnetic field in data collected by NASA's now-defunct Galileo spacecraft. Researchers linked unexplained signatures in the data to electrical currents flowing through a layer of magma estimated to be over 50 kilometers thick beneath the surface. That magma can explain the high degree of volcanism on Io, which has 100 times the volcanic activity as the Earth.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, January 23
Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms
AP — 5:28 am ET (1028 GMT) Thursday, January 22
Colorado Springs leaders done fighting over Space Command
Colorado Springs Gazette — 5:00 am ET (1000 GMT) Space Force Southern HQ opens at Davis-Monthan
KVOA-TV Tucson — 4:58 am ET (0958 GMT) Space Forces Southern officially activated and will ‘be a force of good in the region’
Washington Examiner — 4:57 am ET (0957 GMT) Rocket Lab Neutron Test Update
Rocket Lab — 4:57 am ET (0957 GMT) |
