Table of Contents
How far away is Io from Earth?
390.4 million mi
Io/Distance to Earth
Can you see Io from Earth?
But any time Jupiter is visible in your sky you can view Jupiter’s four major moons. Io zips around Jupiter in 1.8 days, whereas our moon circles Earth every 28 days. The conspicuous black spot on Jupiter is Io’s shadow and is about the size of the moon itself (2,262 miles or 3,640 km across).
Where is Io located?
Jupiter
Io orbits Jupiter at a distance of 421,700 km (262,000 mi) from Jupiter’s center and 350,000 km (217,000 mi) from its cloudtops. It is the innermost of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, its orbit lying between those of Thebe and Europa. Including Jupiter’s inner satellites, Io is the fifth moon out from Jupiter.
What is Io in the solar system?
Jupiter’s fifth moon, Io, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Plumes of sulfur spew upward as high as 190 miles (300 kilometers). The surface of Io is splotched with lava lakes and floodplains of liquid rock.
How long is a day on Io?
The atmosphere is collapsed and trapped as surface ice for about two hours each day on Io (note: A day on Io is equal to 1.7 Earth days, because that’s how long it takes the body to rotate on its axis in relation to the sun.
How long is a year on Io?
42 hours
Io/Orbital period
How far apart are Io and Europa?
The Moons of Jupiter
| Name | Discoverer | Distance from Jupiter |
|---|---|---|
| Io | Galileo, 1610 | 421,600 km/261,970 mi |
| Europa | Galileo, 1610 | 670,900 km/416,880 mi |
| Ganymede | Galileo, 1610 | 1,070,000 km/664,870 mi |
| Callisto | Galileo, 1610 | 1,883,000 km/1,170,000 mi |
How long is a day on Io moon?
The atmosphere is collapsed and trapped as surface ice for about two hours each day on Io (note: A day on Io is equal to 1.7 Earth days, because that’s how long it takes the body to rotate on its axis in relation to the sun. An “hour” is the same on any planet, because it’s an arbitrary, purely human measure of time).
How long is a solar day on Io?
How many volcanoes are on Io?
Observations of Io by passing spacecraft (the Voyagers, Galileo, Cassini, and New Horizons) and Earth-based astronomers have revealed more than 150 active volcanoes. Up to 400 such volcanoes are predicted to exist based on these observations.
How does the planet Io orbit the Sun?
Out There. Io orbits the planet Jupiter, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of 484 million miles (778 million kilometers). Gravitationally Tamed. Tidal Lock: Over 1.8 Earth days, Io rotates once on its axis and completes one orbit of Jupiter, causing the same side of Io to always face Jupiter.
How big is Io compared to the Moon?
Io is only slightly larger than Earth’s moon and about one-quarter the diameter of Earth itself. .
Are there any rings in the orbit of Io?
Io has no known rings, but it does create a gaseous torus of material along its orbit around Jupiter. Spacecraft have studied Io on flybys (Voyager and Cassini) or orbiting Jupiter (Galileo).
Why is Io always on the same side of Jupiter?
Although Io always points the same side toward Jupiter in its orbit around the giant planet, the large moons Europa and Ganymede perturb Io’s orbit into an irregularly elliptical one. Thus, in its widely varying distances from Jupiter, Io is subjected to tremendous tidal forces.