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Volcano Erupts on Io (Galileo)

Spacecraft image of Jupiter's moon Io

NASA’s Galileo spacecraft captured this image of a volcanic eruption on Io in 1997. Io is the most volcanically active world in the solar system, thanks to constant flexing brought on by the gravitational push and pull from Jupiter as well as fellow moons Ganymede and Europa. The extreme tidal forces generate a tremendous amount of heat within Io, keeping much of its subsurface crust in liquid form seeking any available escape route to the surface to relieve the pressure. Hundreds of huge volcanoes cover a surface only slightly larger than the Moon, with erupting lava fountains reaching dozens of miles high.

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    Galileo: Solid-State Imaging
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    28 June 1997
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Io
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Volcanic eruption on Io
  • Release Date
    July 31, 2020
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Webb Telescope Will Study Jupiter, its Rings, and Two Intriguing Moons
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, NASA-JPL, DLR

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 1920 × 1080
    tif (5.95 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 1920 × 1080
    png (1.54 MB)

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

NASA, NASA-JPL, DLR

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