Investigating the Volcanic Mysteries of Io Through Hubble and Webb Telescopes

The Southwest Research Institute has been commissioned to head a substantial project by the Space Telescope Science Institute. This project will employ both the Hubble and James Webb telescopes to conduct remote studies of Io, Jupiter’s moon, in alignment with NASA’s Juno spacecraft’s flybys. These forthcoming flybys present a unique occasion to merge in-depth on-site assessments with terrestrial remote sensing, to decode the volcanic activities of Io and its impact on the plasma ecosystem surrounding Jupiter. Acknowledgment: SwRI/John Spencer

Juno spacecraft’s in-situ data will be augmented by remote-sensing information.

Recently, the Space Telescope Science Institute granted the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) a major project to remotely study Io, the solar system’s most volcanically active celestial body. This research will be aligned with the upcoming Juno spacecraft flybys of Jupiter’s moon, enhancing our comprehension of Io’s role in influencing the plasma climate of Jupiter. The time for the Hubble telescope on this project is allocated based on orbits; this specific project will utilize 122 orbits for data collection.

Synchronized Observation Ventures

Dr. Kurt Retherford, the principal investigator of the campaign from SwRI, emphasized the importance of the project’s timing. Over the coming year, multiple flybys of Io by Juno will provide rare prospects to integrate in situ and remote analyses of this intricate system. Retherford mentioned that approximately 4.7% of Hubble’s observational time for this cycle will be utilized, bolstered by an additional 4.8 hours from the Webb telescope. The objective is to acquire new perspectives into Io’s volatile volcanic activities, its interactions with plasma moons, and the neutral and charged particle emissions through Jupiter’s extensive magnetosphere, which incite intense auroral phenomena on Jupiter.

SwRI spearheads a study to elucidate how Io, the solar system’s most volcanically active entity, affects Jupiter’s plasmasphere. Juno’s JIRAM instrument will capture data about Io’s thermal spots, which will be supplemented by datasets from the Hubble and Webb telescopes. Acknowledgment: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM

Intricacies of Io and Jupiter’s Relationship

Io’s volatile atmosphere serves as the primary source of material in Jupiter’s magnetosphere, an expansive sphere of charged particles around the gas giant. Nevertheless, understanding the complex relationships between Io’s volcanism, surface compounds, atmosphere, and its interaction with magnetospheric plasma remains a daunting challenge.

Dr. Fran Bagenal, the project’s co-principal investigator from the University of Colorado at Boulder, highlighted the importance of deciphering the time-dependent processes to holistically comprehend the Jupiter-Io system. Among the questions posed were the volume of sulfur transferred from Io to Europa and how Io’s auroral features compare to Earth’s northern lights and those on Jupiter.

Plasma and Ionization Dynamics

Io, as Jupiter’s closest large moon, contributes the majority of charged particles to Jupiter’s magnetosphere. This creates a torus-shaped cloud of ions and electrons, known as the Io Plasma Torus (IPT), that encircles Jupiter. This IPT is formed when atmospheric gases escaping from Io undergo ionization. Electrons then collide with these ions, which absorb and release energy as ultraviolet light, detectable by telescopes.

Dr. Katherine de Kleer from Caltech, another co-investigator proficient in James Webb data analysis, stated that the gases escaping from Io mainly originate not from the volcanoes directly but from the sublimation of sulfur dioxide frost present on Io’s dayside surface.

The Importance of Juno’s Upcoming Passes

The core mission of Juno primarily focuses on the internal composition, magnetosphere, and aurora of Jupiter. Its extended mission includes close encounters with Jupiter’s Galilean moons. The flybys scheduled for December 30, 2023, and February 1, 2024, are particularly noteworthy. While other missions, such as the Europa Clipper and Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), are set to reach Jupiter between 2029 and 2031, neither will include a flyby of Io, making this current opportunity invaluable for research until the 2030s.

Retherford pointed out that a comprehensive approach to study Io has been lacking since the Galileo spacecraft flybys between 1999 and 2000, which were augmented by a 30-orbit Hubble campaign. The synergy between Juno’s in situ data collection and the remote sensing from telescopes promises to significantly elevate our understanding of the multifaceted interactions between Io and Jupiter’s magnetosphere.

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• Southwest Research Institute
• Space Telescope Science Institute
• NASA’s Juno Mission
• Hubble Space Telescope
• James Webb Space Telescope
• University of Colorado at Boulder Research
• Caltech Research
• Europa Clipper Mission
• Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE)
• Jovian Magnetosphere