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Data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft, using its Jiram instrument (Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper), indicate the existence of a heat source, never detected before, near the South Pole from Io. It could be a volcano then unknown in this natural satellite of the largest planet in the solar system. Data in the infrared band of the electromagnetic spectrum was collected on December 16, 2017, when the Juno was 470,000 kilometers from the satellite.
The new Io hot spot that detected the Jiram is located about 300 kilometers from the nearest previously mapped hot spot.
Alessandro Mura, of the National Institute of Astrophysics of Rome in Italy and a member of the scientific team of the Juno mission, does not rule out a movement or a modification of the a hot spot previously found, but it is difficult to imagine that any of them can travel at such a distance
The Juno team will continue to evaluate the data collected by the flyby on December 16, as well as Jiram data that will be collected during the next Io flyby flights, some of them probably at a smaller distance from the surface
The missions of previous NASA explorations that visited the Jovian system (Voyager 1 and 2, Galileo, Cbadini and New Horizons), as well as observations made from Earth. have located more than 150 active volcanoes in Io to date. Scientists estimate that about 250 others are waiting to be discovered
Juno has accumulated nearly 235 million kilometers since entering Jupiter's orbit on July 4, 2016. It was launched in space on August 5th. 2011, Cape Canaveral, Florida (United States)
During the current phase of its exploration mission, the Juno flies over the top of the planet's clouds, approaching them at a distance of only 3,400 During these flights, Juno tries to scrutinize what is hidden under Jupiter's opaque cloud cover and studies his aurora for information that contributes to a better understanding of the planet's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. [19659004] Ncyt .-
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