Jupiter Volcanic Moon, Io's Atmosphere Is In State Of Collapsing

First Posted: Aug 03, 2016 06:58 AM EDT

A study reveals that Io, the inmost moon of Jupiter, has a thin atmosphere that is starting to collapse in the shadow of Jupiter. It is condensing as ice.

Volcanic moon Io's atmosphere freezes daily in Jupiter's shadow – https://t.co/pKCQ7NfSrI pic.twitter.com/NweFcNGXHV

— Cosmos Magazine (@CosmosMagazine) August 3, 2016

The study was printed in the journal of Geophysical Research on August 2, 2016. It was funded by NASA's Solar System Workings and Solar System Observations programs. Constantine Tsang, a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado explained that for the first time the scientists have observed this remarkable phenomenon directly, improving their understanding of this geologically active moon.

Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has a thin atmosphere that collapses in the shadow of the planet: https://t.co/uKYqAlYYXJ pic.twitter.com/ZW83kNpflf — NASA (@NASA) August 2, 2016

The study shows the atmospheric changes on lo as the huge planet casts its shadow over the moon's surface during the daily eclipses. The moon's thin atmosphere, which composes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) gas discharged from volcanoes, breakdowns as the SO2 freezes onto the surface as ice when lo is shaded by Jupiter. Then, it is refurbished when the ice warms and sublimes when the moon moves out of eclipse back into the sunlight, according to NASA.

John Spencer, co-author of the study said that this confirms that Io's atmosphere is in the constant state of collapse and repair. This shows that a huge fraction of the atmosphere is supported by sublimation of SO2 ice. He added that they have long suspected this. On the other hand, they finally watch it happen.

Io is the inmost of the four moons of the planet Jupiter and the fourth-largest moon. It is considered the driest object in the Solar System. It is also the most geological object in the solar system. The surfaces of Io are mostly comprised of wide plains coated with sulfur and sulfur dioxide frost.