02.04.24

JUNO GETS SECOND CLOSE LOOK AT JUPITER’S VOLCANIC MOON IO

On Saturday, Feb. 3, NASA’s Juno spacecraft made a second close flyby of Jupiter’s moon Io. Like the previous flyby on Dec. 30, 2023, this second pass was at a distance of about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers). The twin flybys are designed to provide new insight into how Io’s volcanic engine works and whether a global magma ocean exists under Io’s rocky, mountainous surface terrain. More images are now available at missionjuno.swri.edu.