The discovery,publishedinNatureon December 12, solves a mystery that has puzzled researchers for over four decades.
Io is about the same size as Earths Moon, and is marked by seemingly continuous volcanic activity.
Astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered it in 1610, in 2011some four centuries laterNASA launched its Juno mission.
Jupiter’s Moon Io with visible volcanic plumes.© NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Was there a shallow ocean of white-hot magma fueling the volcanoes, or was their source more localized?
Tidal flexing happens when a celestial body is stretched and deformed by the gravitational pull of another nearby body.
The friction from the movement generates heat, so the phenomenon is also known as tidal heating.
This constant flexing creates immense energy, which literally melts portions of Ios interior, said Bolton.
Back on Earth, the team compared Junos data with results from previous missions and ground telescopes.
Our new findings provide an opportunity to rethink what we know about planetary formation and evolution.
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