Juno Spacecraft Gears Up for Closest Look at Jupiter's Tormented Moon

Passant Rabie
·2 min read
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The north polar region of the Jovian moon Io shown in this image taken on October 15 by NASA’s Juno.
The north polar region of the Jovian moon Io shown in this image taken on October 15 by NASA’s Juno.


The north polar region of the Jovian moon Io shown in this image taken on October 15 by NASA’s Juno.

NASA’s curious Jupiter probe is getting chummier with the planet’s most erratic moon, Io. The Juno spacecraft will carry out the closest encounter any mission has had with the volcanic moon in over 20 years, collecting valuable clues about its mysterious activity.

Juno will make its flyby of Io on Saturday, December 30, coming within 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) from the hellish surface of the Jovian moon, according to NASA. The spacecraft has observed Io during previous flybys in May and July from distances ranging between 6,830 miles (11,000 kilometers) to over 62,100 miles (100,000 kilometers). This upcoming flyby is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system.

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During its upcoming flyby of Io, the spacecraft will focus all of its three cameras on the small moon. The Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM), which takes images in infrared, will collect heat signatures emitted by volcanoes on the moon’s surface, while the spacecraft’s Stellar Reference Unit (a navigational star camera) will capture the highest-resolution image of Io’s surface ever taken. The JunoCam imager will take visible-light color images of the moon.

Juno is scheduled for a second close flyby of Io on February 3, 2024, in which the spacecraft will come within about 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the moon’s surface. During those upcoming flybys, scientists will have the opportunity to gather data provided by Juno combined with remote observations by the Hubble and Webb space telescopes.

“With our pair of close flybys in December and February, Juno will investigate the source of Io’s massive volcanic activity, whether a magma ocean exists underneath its crust, and the importance of tidal forces from Jupiter, which are relentlessly squeezing this tortured moon,” Bolton said.

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