How big is Io vs Earth?

Io is 3642.6 km, or 0.28 Earths, wide. It only has a mass of about 1.4% of the mass of Earth.

How big is Io compared to Earth's moon?

Io is the closest moon to Jupiter and is one of the most inhospitable places imaginable. Earth's moon, by comparison, is the fifth-largest moon and is nearly the same size as Io. Here's a chart of Earth and the largest moons in our solar system indicating how our planet an moon compare in size.

Could we live on Io?

Io almost certainly could not support life as we know it. But that's not to say it couldn't harbor some form of life as we don't know it.

Can you land on Io?

A day on Io is about 42.5 hrs or about 1.77 Earth days long. All in all, there's no way you can use Io's atmosphere for aerobraking to land and no need for a heat shield.

Does Io have water?

It has no water to speak of, unlike the other, colder Galilean moons. Data from the Galileo spacecraft indicates that an iron core may form Io's center, thus giving Io its own magnetic field.

What If Earth Was As Big As the Sun?

Does Io have an underground ocean?

WASHINGTON -- New data analysis from NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals a subsurface ocean of molten or partially molten magma beneath the surface of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io.

Why is Io called Io?

Io is named after a maiden who was loved by Zeus. In the Greek myth, Zeus turned her into a heifer in an attempt to hide her from his jealous wife, Hera. Io was discovered by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius in 1610 and is one of the four Galilean satellites.

Could Io be terraformed?

Io is an inhospitable moon of Jupiter. Terraforming will prove extremely challenging but colonization of Io would be relatively easy using the geothermal energy to create an electromagnetic field so we could protect the colony from the radiation belt of Jupiter.

How often does Io erupt?

The most volcanic body in the solar system, Io produces outbursts every year with one the largest occurring in Fall 2022. A massive volcanic eruption has been spotted emerging from Jupiter's moon Io.

How long is 1 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.

Has anyone landed on Io?

No space agency has ever sent a dedicated mission to Io; most of what scientists know about the moon today comes from the Voyager mission through the outer solar system, the Galileo mission to Jupiter and ground-based observations.

What is the age of Io?

Io fast facts

Age: Io is about 4.5 billion years old, about the same age as Jupiter. Distance from Jupiter: Io is the fifth moon from Jupiter. Its average orbital distance is about 262,000 miles (422,000 km). Io takes 1.77 Earth-days to orbit Jupiter.

What would Io smell like?

The distinctive yellow-orange color of the surface comes from sulfur (although Io looks like a pizza, it would smell like a rotten egg).

Why is Io so yellow?

Io's colors derive from sulfur and molten silicate rock. The unusual surface of Io is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes. The intense tidal gravity of Jupiter stretches Io and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons.

Why does Io look like cheese?

Description. Io has often been described as looking like a pizza covered with melted cheese, tomato sauce and olives. The reason for this distinct surface is its vast number of active volcanoes. There are hundreds of volcanoes scattered over the surface of the moon, which is a bit larger than Earth's Moon.

Why does Io not crash into Jupiter?

caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter's massive gravity and the smaller but precisely timed pulls from two neighboring moons that orbit further from Jupiter – Europa and Ganymede. Io orbits faster than these other moons, completing two orbits every time Europa finishes one, and four orbits for each one Ganymede makes.

What is Io moon made of?

Io is about 3,640 km (2,260 miles) in diameter, a little larger than Earth's Moon. Its average density of about 3.52 grams per cubic cm is characteristic of rocks but not ices. Io has a very tenuous atmosphere, composed in large part of sulfur dioxide.

What color is the moon Io?

Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers.