Thebe > Io > Europa

Name

• Io or Jupiter I

Discovery date

• January 8, 1610^[1]

Discoverer

• Galileo Galilei^[1]

Orbiting

• Jupiter^[1]

Characteristics

• Mass = 0.015 Earth mass^[1]
• Radius = 0.286 Earth radius^[1]
• Density = 3.528 g/cm^3[1]
• Semi-major axis = 421,700 km^[1]
• Eccentricity = 0.004^[1]
• Orbital period = 1.8 Earth days^[1]
• Rotation period = Synchronous rotation^[1]
• Atmosphere = Thin, 90% sulfur dioxide^[1]
• Surface temperature = 90-130 K^[1]

About the moon

• One of the four Galilean moons.^[1]
• With over 400 active volcanoes, it is the most geologically active object in the Solar System.^[1]
• The reason why Io is so volcanically active is because it is caught in a tidal lock between Jupiter and Jupiter's largest moon Callisto.
• It is the closest moon orbiting Jupiter .
• Because it is so close to Jupiter it is pulled towards it but at the same time it is being pulled away by the gravitational force of Callisto and so the core of Io always stays molten because the pressure squeezes it making it compact and superheated.
• When Io is at its closest to Jupiter its equator is 100 meters higher than when it is at its furthest away.
• smallest of the galilean moons

Sources

• wikipedia.org

References