Celestial Objects
Io
Moon of Jupiter
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Io is the innermost of Jupiter's four Galilean moons and the most volcanically active body known in the solar system, its hundreds of active volcanoes driven by tidal heating from Jupiter's gravity and the gravitational pull of neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede.
Facts
Diameter (km) Discovery Year Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. NASA Solar System Exploration
National Aeronautics and Space Administrationscience.nasa.gov, Jupiter Moons: IoQuote, science.nasa.gov, Jupiter Moons: Io
Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter's massive gravity and the smaller but precisely timed pulls from two neighboring moons that orbit farther from Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede.
1. NASA Solar System Exploration
National Aeronautics and Space Administrationscience.nasa.gov, Jupiter's Galilean MoonsQuote, science.nasa.gov, Jupiter's Galilean Moons
They are called the Galilean satellites after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who is credited with their discovery in 1610.
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