{"id":1951,"date":"2026-07-24T10:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T10:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/ios-hidden-heat-revealed-for-the-first-time\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T10:46:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T10:46:00","slug":"ios-hidden-heat-revealed-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/ios-hidden-heat-revealed-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Io\u2019s Hidden Heat Revealed for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The<\/figure>\n
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets<\/a><\/em><\/h5>\n

Io\u2014Jupiter\u2019s third-largest moon\u2014is constantly kneaded and deformed by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and two of its other moons, Europa and Ganymede. The resulting friction inside Io generates extreme internal heat, fueling volcanoes that erupt all over its surface. In fact, Io is more volcanically active<\/a> than any other world in our solar system.<\/p>\n

Nearly all prior observations of Io\u2019s heat have relied on infrared measurements that could detect temperatures only at the moon\u2019s very outermost \u201cskin.\u201d Now, Brown et al.<\/em><\/a> have taken Io\u2019s internal temperature for the first time.<\/p>\n

The researchers used data captured by the Microwave Radiometer instrument aboard NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft\u2014which has orbited Jupiter since 2016<\/a>\u2014during close flybys of Io in December 2023 and February 2024.<\/p>\n

These data revealed Io\u2019s thermal emissions at microwave wavelengths, which are longer than infrared, enabling the researchers to peer beneath the surface for tens of meters. Their analysis involved identifying and removing portions of the data representing reflections of the sky on the moon\u2019s surface. The goal was to be left with observations truly representative of Io\u2019s characteristics.<\/p>\n

These observations showed that the upper tens of meters of Io\u2019s surface are strongly heated by internal processes. Two possible explanations that fit the data are that heat may rise steadily through a conductive layer near the surface and that heat from recent lava flows or hot vents may escape to the surface through thin patches of cooling crust, with the latter being more likely on the basis of the existence of tall mountains.<\/p>\n

Further analysis of the microwave observations revealed more about Io. The data suggest that Io has a relatively smooth surface, similar to Earth\u2019s plains. They also suggest that Io has an upper layer with a lower density than solid rock, perhaps similar to volcanic ash or pumice, which likely lies atop denser material several meters below.<\/p>\n

These findings and further analysis of Juno\u2019s Microwave Radiometer data could lead to a deeper understanding of Io, particularly the mechanisms by which it loses internal heat and how heat flow patterns may differ across its surface. This work could also help to inform the design of microwave-detecting instrumentation for future missions to Io or other rocky and icy worlds. (Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets<\/em>, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2025JE009622<\/a>, 2026)<\/p>\n

\u2014Sarah Stanley, Science Writer<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n
Citation:<\/strong>\u00a0Stanley, S. (2026), Io\u2019s hidden heat revealed for the first time,\u00a0Eos, 107, <\/em>https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2026EO260234<\/a>. Published on 24 July 2026.<\/h5>\n
Text \u00a9 2026. AGU.\u00a0CC BY-NC-ND 3.0<\/a>
Except where otherwise noted, images are subject to copyright. Any reuse without express permission from the copyright owner is prohibited.<\/h6>\n

Source: Eos<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets Io\u2014Jupiter\u2019s third-largest moon\u2014is constantly kneaded and deformed by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and two of its other moons, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":1952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[324],"class_list":["post-1951","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-eos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1951"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1951\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bkbc.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}