Journal ArticleDOI
Io on the eve of the galileo mission
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Io, the innermost of Jupiter's large moons, is one of the most unusual objects in the Solar System as discussed by the authors, which produces a global heat flux 40 times the terrestrial value, producing intense volcanic activity and a global resurfacing rate averaging perhaps 1 cm yr−1.Abstract:
▪ Abstract Io, innermost of Jupiter's large moons, is one of the most unusual objects in the Solar System. Tidal heating of the interior produces a global heat flux 40 times the terrestrial value, producing intense volcanic activity and a global resurfacing rate averaging perhaps 1 cm yr−1. The volcanoes may erupt mostly silicate lavas, but the uppermost surface is dominated by sulfur compounds including SO2 frost. The volcanoes and frost support a thin, patchy SO2 atmosphere with peak pressure near 10−8 bars. Self-sustaining bombardment of the surface and atmosphere by Io-derived plasma trapped in Jupiter's magnetosphere causes escape of material from Io (predominantly sulfur, oxygen, and sodium atoms, ions, and molecules) at a rate of about 103 kg s−1. The resulting Jupiter-encircling torus of ionized sulfur and oxygen dominates the Jovian magnetosphere and, together with an extended cloud of neutral sodium, is readily observable from Earth.read more
Citations
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Location and shape of the Jovian magnetopause and bow shock
TL;DR: In this article, the average location and shape of the Jovian boundaries were investigated by fitting ellipse profiles to the observations, allowing for the disk-like shape of magnetosphere and taking account of variable solar wind pressure.
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Volcanically emitted sodium chloride as a source for Io's neutral clouds and plasma torus
TL;DR: The detection of NaCl in Io's atmosphere is reported; it constitutes only ∼0.3% when averaged over the entire disk, but is probably restricted to smaller regions than SO2 because of its rapid photolysis and surface condensation.
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Ocean worlds exploration
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the three best-documented water oceans beyond Earth: those within Europa, Titan and Enceladus, and suggest that the search for life on these oceans can also be accomplished quickly by the standards of outer solar system exploration.
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Photochemistry of a Volcanically Driven Atmosphere on Io: Sulfur and Oxygen Species from a Pele-Type Eruption
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed a one-dimensional atmospheric model in which a variety of sulfur-, oxygen-, sodium-, potassium-, and chlorine-bearing volatiles are volcanically outgassed at Io's surface and then evolve due to photolysis, chemical kinetics, and diffusion.
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The mountains of Io: Global and geological perspectives from Voyager and Galileo
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identified 115 mountain structures (covering approx. 3% of the surface) and 541 volcanic centers, including paterae (calderas and dark spots) and shield volcanoes.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Extreme ultraviolet observations from Voyager 1 encounter with Jupiter
A. L. Broadfoot,M. J. S. Belton,P. Z. Takacs,Bill R. Sandel,Donald E. Shemansky,Jay B. Holberg,Joseph M. Ajello,Sushil K. Atreya,Thomas M. Donahue,H. W. Moos,Jean-Loup Bertaux,J. E. Blamont,Darrell F. Strobel,John C. McConnell,Alexander Dalgarno,Richard Goody,Michael B. McElroy +16 more
TL;DR: The observed resonance scattering of solar hydrogen Lyman α by the atmosphere of Jupiter and the solar occultation experiment suggest a hot thermosphere (≥ 1000 K) wvith a large atomic hydrogen abundance.
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Melting of Io by Tidal Dissipation
TL;DR: The dissipation of tidal energy in Jupiter's satellite Io is likely to have melted a major fraction of the mass, and consequences of a largely molten interior may be evident in pictures of Io's surface returned by Voyager I.
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Inertial limit on corotation
TL;DR: In this article, the inertial corotation lag is calculated as a function of radial distance in the magnetosphere, the solution being parameterized in terms of the Pedersen conductivity of the atmosphere and the rate at which plasma mass is produced and transported outward.
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Physics of the Jovian Magnetosphere
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the physics of magnetospheric radio emissions, plasma waves in the Jovian magnetosphere, theories of radio emissions and plasma waves, and magnetosphere models.