Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Planetary Photo Journal Collection
Title:
Ionian Mountains and Calderas, in Color
Original Caption Released with Image:
This picture of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io combines high-resolution black and white images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on October 10, 1999, with lower resolution color images taken by Galileo on July 3, 1999 to help scientists better understand the relationships between the different surface materials and the underlying geologic structures. For example, there is red material, which is often associated with areas where lava is erupting onto the surface and is thought to be a compound of sulfur, around the margin of Monan Patera (the elongated caldera just to the lower right of center). The broad circle of bright, white material (just to the left of center) is thought to be sulfur-dioxide which is being deposited from the plume Amirani.

The lengths of the shadows cast by the mountains make it possible to estimate the mountains¹ heights. The southern mountain on the far right of the mosaic is approximately 8 kilometers (26,000 feet) high and the mountain to the north of it is approximately 4 kilometers (13,000 feet) high.

North is to the top and the image is centered at 22.8 degrees north latitude and 109.5 degrees west longitude. The higher resolution images have a sharpness of about 500 meters (or yards) per picture element and they are illuminated from the left. These images were taken at a range of 25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles). The color images are illuminated from almost directly behind the spacecraft. The color images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) and show a resolution of 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http: //galileo.jpl.nasa.g ov/gallery/io.cfm.
Addition Date:
2000-03-06
Produced By:
University of Arizona
Mission:
Galileo
Spacecraft:
Galileo Orbiter
Target Name:
Io
Is a satellite of:
Jupiter
Instrument:
Solid-State Imaging
Product Size:
1152 samples x 807 lines
Primary Data Set:
Galileo EDRs
Producer ID:
MRPS96034
facet_what:
Moon
facet_what:
Jupiter
facet_what:
Galileo
facet_what:
Galileo Orbiter
facet_what:
Solid-State Imaging
facet_what:
Io
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where:
Jupiter
facet_where:
Arizona
facet_where:
California
facet_where:
Washington
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_when:
July 3, 1999
facet_when:
October 10, 1999
facet_when_year:
1999
Image #:
PIA02526
UID:
SPD-PHOTJ-PIA02526
orignial url:

Ionian Mountains and Calderas, in Color