New Delhi:
Jupiter volcanic moon Lo is the innermost part of the four Galilean moons of the planet. According to new study, it is found that Lo has a thin layer atmosphere that settles in the shadow of the giant planet during daily eclipses. After moon Lo moves away from the eclipse, sunlight falls directly on the surface, resulting in warming up of surface ice. The surface of the atmosphere then reforms through sublimation, a process whereby ice converts directly to gas.
"This is the first time scientists have observed this remarkable phenomenon directly, improving our understanding of this geologically active moon," said Constantine Tsang, scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Lo is one of the most active objects that are present in the solar system. Volcanoes are the result of heated tides. It is the result of gravitational forces from Jupiter and other moons.
Geological movements occur due to these forces, volcanoes that emit sulphur dioxide gas extends up to up to 480 km above the moon Io and produces extensive basaltic lava.
"Io's atmosphere is in a constant state of collapse and repair and shows that a large fraction of the atmosphere is supported by sublimation of SO2 ice," added study co-author John Spencer.
Though Io's hyperactive volcanoes are the ultimate source of the SO2, sunlight controls the atmospheric pressure on a daily basis by controlling the temperature of the ice on the surface.
