Iran becomes one of the founders of the World Association for Artificial Intelligence Cooperation (WAICO)

The moon Io, a satellite of Jupiter, is recognized as the most volcanic body in the Solar System, featuring a surface constantly reshaped by active volcanoes. Although scientists had measured the heat radiating from its surface for decades, what was happening beneath it remained a mystery. New observations, using data from NASA's Juno probe, allowed for the first time to measure temperatures below Io's surface.

How the probe got there

While infrared instruments assess surface temperature, Juno's Microwave Radiometer uses six antennas to detect microwaves at different wavelengths. Each antenna investigates a distinct depth, ranging from mere centimeters to tens of meters beneath the crust. The probe made approaches approximately 1,500 km from Io's surface on December 30, 2023, and again on February 3, 2024, enabling the first direct measurements of subterranean temperature.

Shannon Brown, the lead author of the study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reported that the instrument managed to measure Io's thermal emission at depths ranging from a few centimeters to tens of meters.

What was found

The findings indicated a temperature increase of over 22°C just a few meters below the surface, constituting a thermal gradient significantly steeper than solar heating alone could justify; this points to the heat coming from internal sources. Researchers identified two potential mechanisms for this heating. The first involves a continuous flow of heat through solid rock, quantified between 1 and 3 watts per square meter. While modest in isolation, this flow, when summed across the entire moon, represents an energy release up to 30 times greater than the Earth's average.

The second mechanism suggests that buried lava fields are slowly cooling beneath a hardened crust layer of about 9 to 10 meters. Such underground reservoirs could be present on approximately 10% of Io's surface at any given time.

What makes Io so volcanic

The primary cause of Io's volcanic activity lies in the phenomenon of tidal heating. Due to its slightly elliptical orbit around Jupiter, the giant planet's gravity exerts a constant force of traction and compression on the moon. This incessant deformation generates considerable amounts of internal heat. Scott Bolton, a co-investigator on Juno at the Southwest Research Institute, commented that Io offers a unique opportunity to understand the workings of tidal heating throughout the cosmos, a vital process that provides energy and heat to worlds located far from their host stars.

This same process may be responsible for nourishing subsurface oceans on other Solar System satellites, such as Europa and Ganymede, and also on planets orbiting distant stars.

A surprisingly smooth surface

Although Io is notorious for its prominent mountains and continuous eruptions, the Juno mission revealed another unexpected aspect: vast areas of the moon are considerably flatter than expected. According to Brown, away from mountainous formations, the surface resembles the Great Plains of North America. Furthermore, despite being a rocky body, the surface material has a very low density, comparable to volcanic ash or pumice, rather than solid rock.

This low-density characteristic on the surface may help explain how heat propagates through the upper layers of the moon.

The connection to Earth

The discoveries made on Io have implications that extend beyond the satellite. Bolton emphasized that the same type of microwave instrument could be applied in the future to the study of terrestrial volcanoes, allowing for the detection of subsurface temperature gradients and the revelation of processes that surface measurements cannot capture. Bolton concluded that the surprising fact of being able to observe beneath the surface of a rocky moon has important consequences for the investigation of Earth's volcanoes.

For those who wish to improve computer performance, RAM plays a crucial role in daily use. Three alternatives of DDR5 memory available on sale on Amazon have been selected, suitable for both desktops and notebooks, allowing the reader to choose the best option for their current setup.

An 8 GB Adata DDR5 module was presented for desktops. This component combines speed and energy efficiency, operating at 5600 MHz with CL46 latency. It is advantageous for activities that require fast data reading and writing, such as gaming, multitasking, and file editing, making it a good starting point for those adopting the DDR5 standard without incurring high costs.

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For those planning to upgrade their gaming equipment, this is the ideal time. Three excellent options for gamer notebooks available on sale on Amazon have been gathered, characterized by robust processors, dedicated graphics cards, and screens optimized to provide a smoother gaming experience. Readers can check out the presented alternatives and select the one that best suits their profile.

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