|
|
Changes around
…
PIA01066
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changes around Marduk between Voyager, and Galileo's first two orbits |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes around Marduk on Jupiter's moon Io as seen by Voyager 1 in 1979 (upper left) and NASA's Galileo spacecraft between June 1996 (lower left) and September 1996 (upper and lower right). The new dark red linear feature extending southeast from Marduk is about 250 kilometers long and may be a volcanic fissure. The flow-like feature at the bottom of the images is distinct in the Voyager data, indistinct in the June Galileo data, but distinct again in the September Galileo data. This may be due to the different lighting conditions rather than volcanic activity. The Voyager 1 image uses the green, blue, and violet filters. The upper right September 1996 image from Galileo uses the violet and green filters of the solid state imaging system aboard the Galileo spacecraft and a synthetic blue to simulate Voyager colors. The lower June and September, 1996 Galileo images use the imaging system's near-infrared (756 nm), green, and violet filters. North is to the top in all frames. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Rotating Earth
…
| Title |
Rotating Earth from Galileo |
| Explanation |
When passing Earth on your way to Jupiter, what should you look for? That question arose for the robotic Galileo spacecraft [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] that soundlessly coasted past the Solar System's most photographed orb [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html ] almost two decades ago. The Galileo spacecraft, although originally launched [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/lucid/gll_launch.html ] from Earth, coasted past its home world twice in an effort to gain speed [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slingshot_effect ] and shorten the duration of its trip to Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060505.html ]. During Galileo's first Earth flyby in late 1990, it made a majestically silent home movie of our big blue marble rotating by taking images [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/earthmoon-earth.cfm ] almost every minute during a 25-hour period. The above picture [ http://planetary.org/explore/topics/earth/spacecraft.html ] is one frame from this movie -- clicking on this frame will put it in motion [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.mov#QuickTime_file_format ] (in many browsers). Visible on Earth [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/ ] are vast blue oceans [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/5.html ], swirling white clouds [ http://sci.odu.edu/sci/scire/05Edition/whitecloud.html ], large golden continents, and even one continent frozen [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060308.html ] into a white sheet of water-ice. As Galileo passed, it saw a globe that not only rotated but began to recede into the distance. Galileo [ http://history.nasa.gov/sp4231.pdf ] went on to a historic mission [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] uncovering many secrets and mysteries of Jupiter [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/discovery.cfm ] over the next 14 years, before performing a final spectacular dive [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030919.html ] into the Jovian atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000429.html ]. |
|
Earth and Moon
This picture of
…
4/2/09
| Description |
This picture of the Earth and Moon in a single frame was taken by the Galileo spacecraft from about 3.9 million miles away. Antarctica is visible through clouds (bottom). The Moon's far side is seen, the shadowy indentation in the dawn terminator is the south pole Aitken Basin, one of the largest and oldest lunar impact features. |
| Date |
4/2/09 |
|
Single Globe Ga
…
| Title |
Single Globe Galileo Dataset |
| Completed |
1999-11-10 |
|
Io's Tohil Mons
…
Images taken by
…
2/26/01
| Date |
2/26/01 |
| Description |
Images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft with different angles of sunlight help scientists interpret the three- dimensional shape of structures on Jupiter's moons. This pair shows a mountain named Tohil Mons on the innermost of Jupiter's four large moons, Io. The top image was taken at low resolution and a low Sun angle during Galileo's third orbit, in 1996. Because the Sun is low, topographic features on the mountain can be recognized from the shadows they cast. Labels indicate the peak of the mountain and two volcanic depressions, called paterae. The bottom image was taken on Feb. 22, 2000, at higher resolution and a higher Sun angle. The smallest visible features are about 165 meters (540 feet) across. The topography is almost indistinguishable, but many more details can be discerned. By combining several observations in this manner, Galileo scientists are able to study Io's mountains and to learn about their evolution and their relationship to Io's volcanoes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
HoloGlobe: Gali
…
| Title |
HoloGlobe: Galileo Earth |
| Abstract |
This is one of a series of animations that were produced to be part of the narrated video shown in the HoloGlobe exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the Earth Today exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. |
| Completed |
1997-04-30 |
|
Highest Resolut
…
PIA01663
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Highest Resolution mosaic of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global mosaic shows the highest resolution Galileo images available of Jupiter's moon, Io. North is to the top of the picture. The images, obtained at low sun illumination angles (high sun-target-spacecraft angles)which emphasize topographic shadows, were taken by the Solid State Imaging(SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft over the course of several orbits. The grid identifies the names and locations of several of Io's main features. Several active but as yet unnamed volcanic features are indicated by arrows. While volcanic centers are rather evenly distributed, almost all of the active plumes and long-lived hot spots seen over the span of NASA's Galileo mission at Jupiter or during the flyby's of NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979 are within 30 degrees of the equator. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Asteroid Gaspra
…
| Title |
Asteroid Gaspra's Best Face |
| Explanation |
Asteroid 951 Gaspra [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/bestgaspra.html ] is a huge rock tumbling in space. Gaspra [ http://www.nineplanets.org/gaspra.html ] became one of the best-studied asteroids [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/gaspra.htm ] in 1991 when the spacecraft Galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/spacecraft.html ] flew by. In the above photograph [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00119 ], subtle color variations have been exaggerated to highlight changes in reflectivity, surface structure and composition. Gaspra [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-asteroids.html ] is about 20 kilometers long and orbits the Sun [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980830.html ] in the main asteroid belt [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020724.html ] between Mars [ http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] and Jupiter [ http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html ]. |
|
Stereo View of
…
PIA00521
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Stereo View of Ganymede's Galileo Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Topographic detail is seen in this stereoscopic view of the Galileo Regio region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The picture is a computer reconstruction from two images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft this summer. One image of the Galileo Regio region was taken June 27, 1996, at a range of 9,515 kilometers (about 5,685 miles) with a resolution of 76 meters. The other was taken September 6, 1996 at a range of 10,220 kilometers (about 6,350 miles) with a resolution of 86 meters. The topographic nature of the deep furrows and impact craters that cover this portion of Ganymede is apparent. The blue-sky horizon is artificial. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galileo's Jupit
…
| Title |
Galileo's Jupiter Probe |
| Explanation |
Today, at about 5:00 pm EST, [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/ ] this 750 pound probe from NASA's robot spacecraft Galileo will plummet into Jupiter [ http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/galileo_probe/htmls/jupiter_the_planet.html ] becoming the first probe [ http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/galileo_probe/index.html ] to fly through the atmosphere of a gas giant planet. Released by the Galileo orbiter in July of this year, it has been coasting toward its rendezvous with the Solar System's largest planet. The probe will smack Jupiter's atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951206.html ] at over 100,000 mph slowing to less than 1,000 mph in a matter of minutes, experiencing a deceleration of about 230 times the Earth's surface gravity. If all goes well [ http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/galileo_probe/htmls/probe_mission_events.html ], it will then deploy a parachute and descend, using sophisticated instruments to profile Jupiter's dense outer layers of hydrogen and helium gas. Pictured here before launch, the probe [ http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/galileo_probe/htmls/probe_spacecraft.html ] descent module (top)is suspended above its deceleration module aeroshell (bottom) prior to being joined. The aeroshell should protect the descent module from the initial shock and heat of entry, which will initially create an intense fireball, over twice as hot as the surface of the Sun. |
|
Earth Rotation
…
| Title |
Earth Rotation from Galileo Imagery: 3600 x Real-Time (no rotation) |
| Abstract |
This animation is one in a series created to show an accurate representation of the Earth's rotation at different temporal resolutions. The animation is created from images taken by the Galileo spacecraft during a close pass of the Earth on December 11-12, 1990. The animations range from real-time, in which no rotation can be perceived, to 3600 times real-time, in which both the Earth's rotation and cloud motion can bee seen. The series also includes an animation in which the Earth's rotation has been 'halted' so that cloud motion is easier to see and an animation showing the specific amount of rotation that takes place in three minutes. |
| Completed |
1998-08-23 |
|
Earth Rotation
…
| Title |
Earth Rotation from Galileo Imagery: 3-Minute Interval |
| Abstract |
This animation is one in a series created to show an accurate representation of the Earth's rotation at different temporal resolutions. The animation is created from images taken by the Galileo spacecraft during a close pass of the Earth on December 11-12, 1990. The animations range from real-time, in which no rotation can be perceived, to 3600 times real-time, in which both the Earth's rotation and cloud motion can bee seen. The series also includes an animation in which the Earth's rotation has been 'halted' so that cloud motion is easier to see and an animation showing the specific amount of rotation that takes place in three minutes. |
| Completed |
1998-08-23 |
|
Earth Rotation
…
| Title |
Earth Rotation from Galileo Imagery: 600 x Real-Time |
| Abstract |
This animation is one in a series created to show an accurate representation of the Earth's rotation at different temporal resolutions. The animation is created from images taken by the Galileo spacecraft during a close pass of the Earth on December 11-12, 1990. The animations range from real-time, in which no rotation can be perceived, to 3600 times real-time, in which both the Earth's rotation and cloud motion can bee seen. The series also includes an animation in which the Earth's rotation has been 'halted' so that cloud motion is easier to see and an animation showing the specific amount of rotation that takes place in three minutes. |
| Completed |
1998-08-23 |
|
Galileo Regio M
…
PIA00492
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo Regio Mosaic - Galileo over Voyager Data |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A mosaic of four Galileo images of the Galileo Regio region on Ganymede (Latitude 18 N, Longitude: 149 W) is shown overlayed on the data obtained by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979. North is to the top of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left, about 58 degrees above the horizon. The smallest features that can be discerned are about 80 meters (262 feet) in size in the Galileo images. These Galileo images show fine details of the dark terrain that makes up about half of the surface of the planet-sized moon. Ancient impact craters of various sizes and states of degradation testify to the great age of the terrain, dating back several billion years. The images reveal distinctive variations in albedo from the brighter rims, knobs, and furrow walls to a possible accumulation of dark material on the lower slopes, and crater floors. High photometric activity (large light contrast at high spatial frequencies) of this ice-rich surface was such that the Galileo camera's hardware data compressor was pushed into truncating lines. The north-south running gap between the left and right halves of the mosaic is a result of line truncation from the normal 800 samples per line to about 540. The images were taken on 27 June, 1996 Universal Time at a range of 7,580 kilometers (4,738 miles) through the clear filter of the Galileo spacecraft's imaging system. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galilean Moon I
…
This artist's c
…
6/4/98
| Date |
6/4/98 |
| Description |
This artist's concept shows cross-sections of the four largest moons of Jupiter, with the interior structures based on the latest information sent back by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The moons depicted are (clockwise from bottom right) Callisto, Ganymede, Io and Europa. Scientists have modified their concept of Callisto's interior, based on the most recent Galileo findings. Whereas previously they believed that Callisto was completely undifferentiated, with a uniform mixture of rock and ice, scientists now say the interior has some separation of the ice and rock, but not nearly as much as the other three moons. Galileo data indicate that Ganymede is separated into a metallic core, rock mantle, and ice-rich outer shell, while Io has a metallic core and rock mantle, but no ice. Galileo data has also helped scientists refine their model of Europa's structure. They believe Europa has a metallic core surrounded by a rock mantle and a water ice-liquid outer shell. The core may be up to half the size of Europa's radius, with the water ice-liquid shell estimated to be between 80 to 170 kilometers thick (50 to 106 miles), with 100 kilometers (62 miles) considered the most likely thickness. Information on the interior structure of the four moons was obtained by studying radio Doppler data that is gathered when Galileo flies by the satellites. Each moon exerts a gravitational tug, but the tug's strength is determined by how much rock is contained within the moon (the higher the rock content, the stronger the tug). The tug changes the spacecraft's speed and the radio frequency of its signals. Scientists study those changes to determine the rock content and structure of the moon. This material was presented to the American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego, CA on June 4, 1998. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image, along with other images and data received from Galileo, is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . ##### |
|
Parachutes - Ga
…
| Title |
Parachutes - Galileo Spacecraft |
| Full Description |
A parachute for the Galileo spacecraft is tested in a wind tunnel. Galileo consisted of an orbiter and an atmosphere probe that descended into Jupiter's atmosphere on a parachute after being braked by a heat shield. |
| Date |
4/18/1983 |
| NASA Center |
Langley Research Center |
|
Callisto Crater
…
This mosaic of
…
2/10/97
| Date |
2/10/97 |
| Description |
This mosaic of three images shows an area within the Valhalla region on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. North is to the top of the mosaic and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The smallest details that can be discerned in this picture are knobs and small impact craters about 160 meters (175 yards) across. The mosaic covers an area approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) across. It shows part of a prominent crater chain located on the northern part of the Valhalla ring structure. Crater chains can form from the impact of material ejected from large impacts (forming secondary chains) or by the impact of a fragmented projectile, perhaps similar to the Shoemaker-Levy 9 cometary impacts into Jupiter in July 1994. It is believed this crater chain was formed by the impact of a fragmented projectile. The images which form this mosaic were obtained by the solid state imaging system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Nov. 4, 1996 (Universal Time). Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. ##### |
|
Unusual Volcani
…
PIA00711
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Unusual Volcanic Pyroclastic Deposits on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four views of Euboea Fluctus on Jupiter's moon Io showing changes seen on June 27th, 1996 by the Galileo spacecraft as compared to views seen by the Voyager spacecraft during the 1979 flybys. Clockwise from upper left is a Voyager 1 high resolution image, a Galileo enhanced color image, a Galileo image with simulated Voyager colors, and a Voyager 2 color image. North is to the top of the picture. The Galileo images show new diffuse deposits which have an unusual morphology for plume deposits. A diffuse yellowish deposit with a radius of 285 km extends to the northwest, whereas an intense reddish deposit marks a curving fallout margin to the southeast. This morphology may have resulted from the presence of a topographic obstruction to southeast of the vent. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Three Surface C
…
PIA00714
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Three Surface Changes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two views of three areas on Jupiter's moon Io showing changes seen on June 27th, 1996 by the Galileo spacecraft as compared to views seen by the Voyager spacecraft during the 1979 flybys. Galileo images are on the right, Voyager 2 images are on the left. North is to the top. At top (latitude +33, longitude 20) is a new volcanic feature consisting of a dark spot, perhaps a caldera floor, surrounded by a diffuse circular ring of reddish material, perhaps a plume deposit. The region in the middle corresponds to a hotspot observed by Earth-based observers on June 2nd, 1996. The Galileo image reveals new dark features, perhaps lava flows, within a field of lava flows (latitude +13, longitude 359). At bottom is the region near Sengen Patera (lower dark feature in the Voyager image, latitude -32, longitude 305). The dark materials have brightened or have been buried by new bright deposits by the time of the Galileo encounter. Earth-based observations indicated a hotspot in the Sengen Patera region also on June 2, 1996. Images are all 500 km wide. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Detail of Ganym
…
PIA00705
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Detail of Ganymede's Uruk Sulcus Region as Viewed by Galileo and Voyager |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
View of the region of Ganymede's Uruk Sulcus placed on a lower resolution Voyager view taken 17 years earlier. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost overhead in the Galileo view. The finest details that can be discerned in the Galileo picture are about 80 meters across. The four boxes outlined in white show the extent of Galileo's initial look at this area. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Pele Comparison
…
PIA00717
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Pele Comparisons Since 1979 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These frames detail the changes around Pele on Jupiter's moon Io, as seen by Voyager 1 (left), Voyager 2 (middle), and Galileo (right). The Voyager frames were taken in 1979 when the two spacecraft flew past Jupiter and it's moon Io. The Galileo view was obtained in June, 1996. Note the changes in the shape of the deposits further from the vent while the radial dark features closer to the vent show little change. The Voyager images use orange, blue, and violet filters. The Galileo image uses the green and violet filters of the Solid State Imaging system aboard the Galileo spacecraft and a synthetic blue. All three images are in a simple cylindrical projection and are approximately 1700 km x 1500 km. North is to the top. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA'is Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Topography of I
…
PIA00740
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Topography of Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The images used to create this color composite of Io were acquired by Galileo during its ninth orbit (C9) of Jupiter and are part of a sequence of images designed to map the topography or relief on Io and to monitor changes in the surface color due to volcanic activity. Obtaining images at low illumination angles is like taking a picture from a high altitude around sunrise or sunset. Such lighting conditions emphasize the topography of the volcanic satellite. Several mountains up to a few miles high can be seen in this view, especially near the upper right. Some of these mountains appear to be tilted crustal blocks. Most of the dark spots correspond to active volcanic centers. North is to the top of the picture which merges images obtained with the clear, red, green, and violet filters of the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. . The resolution is 8.3 kilometers per picture element. The image was taken on June 27, 1997 at a range of 817,000 kilometers by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Lack of visible
…
PIA01065
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Lack of visible change around active hotspots on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes around two hotspots on Jupiter's moon Io as seen by Voyager 1 in April 1979 (left) and NASA's Galileo spacecraft on September 7th, 1996 (middle and right). The right frame was created with images from the Galileo Solid State Imaging system's near-infrared (756 nm), green, and violet filters. For better comparison, the middle frame mimics Voyager colors. The calderas at the top and at the lower right of the images correspond to the locations of hotspots detected by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Galileo spacecraft during its second orbit. There are no significant morphologic changes around these hot calderas, however, the diffuse red deposits, which are simply dark in the Voyager colors, appear to be associated with recent and/or ongoing volcanic activity. The three calderas range in size from approximately 100 kilometers to approximately 150 kilometers in diameter. The caldera in the lower right of each frame is named Malik. North is to the top of all frames. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Changes east of
…
PIA01068
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changes east of Pele between Galileo's first two orbits |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes east of Pele on Jupiter's moon Io as seen by NASA's Galileo spacecraft between June (left) and September (right) 1996. The caldera at the center of the images that changes from bright to dark is approximately 80 kilometers in diameter. Some scientists speculate that this brightness (albedo) change might be due to flooding of the crater floor by lava. The left frame was reprojected and stretched to match the geometry and average colors of the right frame. Before this stretch, the earlier image (left) was significantly redder than the later image (right), this may be due to variations in lighting. Both frames were created with images from the Galileo Solid State Imaging system's near-infrared (756 nm), green, and violet filters. North is to the top of both frames. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galileo Regio's
…
| title |
Galileo Regio's Furrowed Region |
| description |
View of the Galileo Regio region on Ganymede showing fine details of the Galileo image fit into the larger scale, but much lower resolution view of the region taken 17 years earlier by Voyager. The broad curved furrow patterns are characteristic of the darker regions of this moon. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost overhead in the Galileo picture. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Galileo and Cas
…
Two Giant Plume
…
3/29/01
| Date |
3/29/01 |
| Description |
Two Giant Plumes on Io ,Two tall volcanic plumes and the rings of red material they have deposited onto surrounding surface areas appear in images taken of Jupiter's moon Io by NASA's Galileo and Cassini spacecraft in late December 2000 and early January 2001. One plume, from the volcano Pele, shoots upward nearly 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the surface near Io's equator. The plume has been active for at least four years and, until now, had been far larger than any other plume seen on Io. The images also show a second plume about the same size, closer to Io's north pole. This plume had never been seen before. It is associated with a fresh eruption from the Tvashtar Catena volcanic area. The observations were made during joint studies of the Jupiter system while Cassini was passing Jupiter on its way to Saturn. Galileo passed closer to Io for higher-resolution images, and Cassini acquired images at ultraviolet wavelengths, better for detecting active volcanic plumes. The Cassini ultraviolet images, upper right, reveal two gigantic, actively erupting plumes of gas and dust. Near the equator, just the top of Pele's plume is visible where it projects into sunlight. None of it would be illuminated if it were less than 240 kilometers (150 miles) high. These images indicate a total height for Pele of 390 kilometers (242 miles). The Cassini image at far right shows a bright spot over Pele's vent. Although the Pele hot spot has a high temperature, silicate lava cannot be hot enough to explain a bright spot in the ultraviolet, so the origin of this bright spot is a mystery, but it may indicate that Pele was unusually active when the picture was taken. Also visible is a plume near Io's north pole. Although 15 active plumes over Io's equatorial regions have been detected in hundreds of images from NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft, this is the first image ever acquired of an active plume over a polar region of Io. The plume projects about 150 kilometers (about 90 miles) over the limb, the edge of the globe. If it were erupting from a point on the limb, it would be only slightly larger than a typical Ionian plume, but the image does not reveal whether the source is actually at the limb or beyond it, out of view. A distinctive feature in Galileo images since 1997 has been a giant red ring of Pele plume deposits about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) in diameter. The Pele ring is seen again in one of the new Galileo images, lower left. When the new Galileo images were returned this month, scientists were astonished to see a second giant red ring on Io, centered around Tvashtar Catena at 63 degrees north latitude. (To see a comparison from before the ring was deposited, see images PIA-01604 or PIA-02309.) Tvashtar was the site of an active curtain of high-temperature silicate lava imaged by Galileo in November 1999 and February 2000 (image PIA- 02584). The new ring shows that Tvashtar must be the vent for the north polar plume imaged by Cassini from the other side of Io. This means the plume is actually about 385 kilometers (239 miles) high, just like Pele. The uncertainty in estimating the height is about 30 kilometers (19 miles), so the plume could be anywhere from 355 to 415 kilometers (221 to 259 miles) high. If this new plume deposit is just one millimeter (four one- hundredths of an inch) thick, then the eruption produced more ash than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington. NASA recently approved a third extension of the Galileo mission, including a pass over Io's north pole in August 2001. The spacecraft's trajectory will pass directly over Tvashtar at an altitude of 200 kilometers (124 miles). Will Galileo fly through an active plume? That depends on whether this eruption is long- lived like Pele or brief, and it also depends on how high the plume is next August. Two Pele-sized plumes are inferred to have erupted in 1979 during the four months between Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 flybys, as indicated by new Pele-sized rings in Voyager 2 images. Those eruptions, both from high-latitude locations, were shorter-lived than Pele, but their actual durations are unknown. In May, Galileo will get another, more distant look at Tvashtar. It has been said that Io is the heartbeat of the jovian magnetosphere. The two giant plumes evidenced in these images may have had significant effects on the types, density and distribution of neutral and charged particles in the Jupiter system during the joint observations of the system by Galileo and Cassini from November 2000 to March 2001. These Cassini images were acquired on Jan. 2, 2001, except for the frame at the far right, which was acquired a day earlier. The Galileo images were acquired on Dec. 30 and 31, 2000. Cassini was about 10 million kilometers (6 million miles) from Io, 10 times farther than Galileo. More information about the Cassini and Galileo joint observations of the Jupiter system is available online at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiterflyby . Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo and Cassini missions for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. |
|
Galileo Earth V
…
| Title |
Galileo Earth Views (WMS) |
| Abstract |
The Galileo spacecraft was launched from the Space Shuttle Atlantis on October 18, 1989 on a six-year trip to Jupiter. On the way, the trajectory of the spacecraft took it past Venus once and Earth twice. Galileo took the Earth images in this animation just after the first flyby of the Earth, on December 11 and 12, 1990. This six-hour sequence of images taken two minutes apart clearly shows how the Earth looks from space and how fast (or slow) the cloud features change when looked at from a distance. The path of the sun can be seen crossing Australia by its reflection in the nearby ocean, and the terminator region between night and day can be seen moving across the Indian Ocean. In the original images, the Earth's rotation is so dominant that cloud movement is hard to see, but these images have been mapped to the Earth is such a way that a viewer can watch just the clouds move in the ocean around Antarctica or across the Austrailian land mass. In this animation, New Zealand can ony be seen as a stationary disturbance under a moving cloud bank. The black area with the sharp boundary to the north and east of Australia is the side of the Earth that could not be seen from Galileo's position. |
| Completed |
2004-08-06 |
|
Arizona-sized I
…
These images of
…
11/5/97
| Date |
11/5/97 |
| Description |
These images of Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io, show the results of a dramatic event that occurred on the fiery satellite during a five-month period. The changes, captured by the imaging system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft, occurred between the time Galileo acquired the left frame, during its seventh orbit of Jupiter, and the right frame, during its 10th orbit. A new dark spot, 400 kilometers (249 miles) in diameter, which is roughly the size of Arizona, surrounds a volcanic center named Pillan Patera. Galileo imaged a 120 kilometer (75 mile) high plume erupting from this location during its ninth orbit. Pele, which produced the larger plume deposit southwest of Pillan, also appears different than it did during the seventh orbit, perhaps due to interaction between the two large plumes. Pillan's plume deposits appear dark at all wavelengths. This color differs from the very red color associated with Pele, but is similar to the deposits of Babbar Patera, the dark feature southwest of Pele. Some apparent differences between the images are not caused by changes on Io’s surface, but rather are due to differences in illumination, emission and phase angles. This is particularly apparent at Babbar Patera. North is to the top of the images. The left frame was acquired on April 4th, 1997, while the right frame was taken on Sept. 19th, 1997. The images were obtained at ranges of 563,000 kilometers (350,000 miles) for the left image, and 505,600 kilometers (314,165 miles) for the right. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from mission are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo .the left frame, during its seventh orbit of Jupiter, and the right frame, during its 10th orbit. A new dark spot, 400 kilometers (249 miles) in diameter, which is roughly the size of Arizona, surrounds a volcanic center named Pillan Patera. Galileo imaged a 120 kilometer (75 mile) high plume erupting from this location during its ninth orbit. Pele, which produced the larger plume deposit southwest of Pillan, also appears different than it did during the seventh orbit, perhaps due to interaction between the two large plumes. Pillan's plume deposits appear dark at all wavelengths. This color differs from the very red color associated with Pele, but is similar to the deposits of Babbar Patera, the dark feature southwest of Pele. Some apparent differences between the images are not caused by changes on Io s surface, but rather are due to differences in illumination, emission and phase angles. This is particularly apparent at Babbar Patera. North is to the top of the images. The left frame was acquired on April 4th, 1997, while the right frame was taken on Sept. 19th, 1997. The images were obtained at ranges of 563,000 kilometers (350,000 miles) for the left image, and 505,600 kilometers (314,165 miles) for the right. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from mission are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . ##### |
|
Eruption at Tva
…
This pair of im
…
2/26/01
| Date |
2/26/01 |
| Description |
This pair of images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft captures a dynamic eruption at Tvashtar Catena, a chain of volcanic bowls on Jupiter's moon Io. They show a change in the location of hot lava over a period of a few months in 1999 and early 2000. The image on the left uses data obtained on Nov. 26 and July 3, 1999, at resolutions of 183 meters (600 feet) and 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per pixel, respectively. The red and yellow lava flow itself is an illustration based upon imaging data. The image on the right is a composite using a five-color observation made on Feb. 22, 2000, at 315 meters (1030 feet) per pixel. These are among the most fortuitous observations made by Galileo because this style of volcanism is too unpredictable and short-lived to plan to photograph. Short-lived bursts of volcanic activity on Io had been previously detected from Earth-based observations, but interpreting the style of volcanic activity from those lower- resolution views was highly speculative. These Galileo observations confirm hypotheses that the initial, intense thermal output comes from active lava fountains. Galileo's high-resolution observations of volcanic activity on Io have also confirmed other hypotheses based on earlier, low- resolution data. These include interpretations of slowly spreading lava flows at Prometheus and Amirani and an active lava lake at Pele. These tests of earlier hypotheses increase scientists' confidence in interpreting volcanic activity seen in low-resolution remote sensing data of Earth as well as Io. However, these data are still of insufficient resolution to adequately test the more quantitative models that have been applied to volcanic eruptions on Earth and Io. These images also show other geologic features on Io, such as the scalloped margins of the plateau to the northeast of the active lavas. These margins appear to have formed by sapping, a process usually associated with springs of water. Liquid sulfur dioxide might be the fluid responsible for sapping on Io. A better understanding of sapping on Io will influence how scientists interpret similar features on Mars (where the viability of carbon dioxide or water as the sapping fluid remains controversial). Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. # # # # # |
|
High Latitude "
…
PIA01608
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
High Latitude "Bright" and "Dark" Terrains on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During Galileo's second orbit, a series of images were obtained within the northern polar cap of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, across a north-south trending boundary between the grooved terrain of Philae Sulcus and the dark terrain of Galileo Regio. The blurry appearing background of this scene is the best Voyager image of the area, at a resolution of about 1.4 kilometers per picture element. The Voyager data shows that the grooved terrain of Philae Sulcus to the west (left) is bright, and the older terrain of Galileo Regio to the east (right) is dark, however, this brightness difference is not at all apparent in the high resolution Galileo images. Instead, bright and dark patches occur in both Philae Sulcus and in Galileo Regio. The bright patches occur mostly on the north and east facing slopes of craters and ridges [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00496 ], which are expected to be colder, and therefore to collect frost in this high latitude region. The principal way that Ganymede's terrain types can be distinguished in the high resolution Galileo images is by their texture: the "bright" grooved terrain shows north-south trending ridges and grooves, and the ancient "dark" terrain shows a rolling appearance and is more heavily cratered. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower right. The image, centered at 63 degrees latitude and 168 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 94 by 64 kilometers. The finest details that can discerned in this picture are about 92 meters across. The images were taken on September 6, 1996 beginning at 18 hours, 52 minutes, 46 seconds Universal Time at a range of 2266 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http:// galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Io's Tupan Cald
…
PIA03601
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Io's Tupan Caldera in Infrared |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Tupan Caldera, a volcanic crater on Jupiter's moon Io, has a relatively cool area, possibly an island, in its center, as indicated by infrared imagery from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. A thermal portrait of Tupan collected by the near-infrared mapping instrument on Galileo during an Oct. 16, 2001 flyby is presented on the right, beside a visible-light image from Galileo's camera for geographical context. The infrared image uses false color to indicate intensity of glowing at a wavelength of 4.7 microns. Reds and yellows indicate hotter regions, blues are cold. The hottest areas correspond to the dark portions in the visible-light image and are probably hot lavas. The central region in the crater may be an island or a topographically high region. Parts of it are cold enough for sulfur-dioxide to condense. Tupan, an active volcano on Io since at least 1996, was named for the Brazilian native god of thunder. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Scale Compariso
…
PIA01625
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Scale Comparison of the Inner Small Satellites of Jupiter |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These are the best images of the small inner satellites of Jupiter taken by the solid state imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. From left to right and in order of decreasing distance to Jupiter are Thebe, Amalthea, Adrastea, and Metis, shown at the same scale as Long Island which is 190 kilometers long. Since these satellites are so small, their surface gravities are very low: a person weighing 150 pounds on Earth would weigh about 1 pound on Amalthea, and about an ounce on Adrastea. Large craters 35 to 90 kilometers (20 to 55 miles) across which are the result of impacts by fragments asteroid and comet debris are conspicuous on the surface of the larger satellites. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Key Volcanic Ce
…
PIA01668
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Key Volcanic Centers on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These views of the key volcanic centers on Jupiter's moon, Io, merge color data with higher resolution mosaics. They show the color units in relation to surface features, and fine brightness variations such as volcanic flows. The images in frames "a" through "g" are all scaled to the same proportions. Frame "a" is 575 kilometers (356 miles) across. These images show that some of the most colorful and high-contrast regions on Io are associated with the most active volcanoes. They also illustrate that fresh-appearing lava flows are often associated with active plumes(for example at Loki, Prometheus, Culann, Marduk, Volund, Zamama, Maui, and Amirani). It is possible that the plumes result from interaction between the advancing flows and the SO2-rich surface deposits, analogous to the plumes that form when lava flows into a body of water (for example, in Hawaii). North is to the top of the picture. The color has been enhanced. The images were obtained with the green, violet, and 756 micrometer filters of the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
NASA Connect -
…
NASA Connect Se
…
4/1/00
| Description |
NASA Connect Segment discovering algebra and how algebra is used in telescopes. Explores Galileo's fifteenth century telescope and the Milkyway Galaxy. |
| Date |
4/1/00 |
|
Ida and Dactyl:
…
| Title |
Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon |
| Explanation |
This asteroid has a moon [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/idadactyl_false.txt ]! The robot spacecraft [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/space-intro.html ] Galileo currently exploring the Jovian system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970612.html ], encountered and photographed two asteroids [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/smb.htm ] during its long journey to Jupiter [ http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html ]. The second asteroid it photographed, Ida [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/ida.html ], was discovered to have a moon which appears as a small dot to the right of Ida in this picture [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020630.html http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/idacolor.html ]. The tiny moon, named Dactyl [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/dactyl.html ], is about one mile across, while the potato shaped Ida measures about 36 miles long and 14 miles wide. Dactyl is the first moon of an asteroid ever discovered. The names Ida and Dactyl [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/dactyl.txt ] are based on characters in Greek mythology [ http://www.greekmythology.com/ ]. Other [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001101.html ] asteroids are now known to have moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991014.html ]. |
|
Galileo Photogr
…
| Title |
Galileo Photographs Ganymede |
| Explanation |
Ganymede's surface is slowly being pulled apart. This photo of Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/gany01_gal.txt ] was released earlier today [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ganymede/g1images.html ] by the Galileo team at NASA. The Galileo Spacecraft [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/scpics.html ] arrived at Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950625.html ] in December 1995. In late June, the spacecraft passed within 10,000 kilometers of Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950904.html ]'s icy surface, and took pictures showing complex surface details for the first time. The line-like features in this photo are sunlit ridges rising above Ganymede [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/ganymede.html ]'s ice-plains. The circular features are impact craters. Ganymede [ http://bang.lanl.gov/solarsys/ganymede.htm ] is the largest moon of Jupiter [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html ] and hence the largest of the four Galilean satellites: Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950803.html ], Europa [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950905.html ], Ganymede [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960627.html ], and Callisto [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950906.html ]. |
|
Galileo's End
| title |
Galileo's End |
| description |
An artist's impression of the Galileo orbiter beginning to burn up in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo's 14-year mission to explore the Jovian system ended on Sept. 21, 2003 when the spacecraft was deliberately sent into Jupiter's atmosphere. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
True Color of J
…
PIA00708
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
True Color of Jupiter's Great Red Spot |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Roughly true color image of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter as taken by the Galileo imaging system on June 26, 1996. Because the Galileo imaging system's wavelength sensitivities go beyond those of the human eye, this is only an approximation of what a human observer would have seen in place of the Galileo spacecraft. To simulate red as our eyes see it, the near-infrared filter (756 nm) image was used. To simulate blue as our eyes see it, the violet filter (410 nm) image was used. Finally, to simulate green as our eyes see it, a combination of 2/3 violet and 1/3 near-infrared was used. The result is an image that is similar in color to that seen when looking through a telescope at Jupiter with your eye, but allowing detail about 100 times finer to be visible! The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Context of Euro
…
PIA00723
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Context of Europa images from Galileo |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global view of Europa shows the location of a four-frame mosaic of images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, set into low-resolution data obtained by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. Putting new data into its surrounding context is a technique that allows scientists to better understand features observed on planetary surfaces. The Galileo spacecraft obtained these images during its first orbit of Jupiter at a distance of 156,000 km (96,300 miles) on June 27, 1996. The finest details that can discerned in this picture are about 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) across. North is to the top. For details on the Galileo images in this release, click here [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00295 ]. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Stereo View of
…
PIA00498
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Stereo View of Ganymede's Galileo Regio |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
New topographic detail is seen in a stereoscopic view of this part of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The newly processed picture is a computer reconstruction from two images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft this summer. One image of the Galileo Regio region was taken June 27, 1996, at a range of 9,515 kilometers (about 5,685 miles) and the other was taken at a range of 10,220 kilometers (about 6,350 miles) on September 6, 1996. The topographic nature of the deep furrows and impact craters that cover this portion of Ganymede is apparent. The blue-sky horizon is artificial. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Changes on Io a
…
PIA01067
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changes on Io around Maui and Amirani between Voyager 1 and Galileo's second orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes on Jupiter's moon Io in the region around Maui and Amirani as seen by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in April 1979 (left frame) and NASA's Galileo spacecraft in September 1996 (right frame). North is to the top of both frames. The dark, north - south running linear feature, Amirani, is approximately 350 km long. Maui is the large circular feature immediately west of the southern end of Amirani. Note the brightening of the west side of Maui and the bright patch on the west side of Amirani. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Changes on Io a
…
PIA01071
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changes on Io around Volund between Voyager 1 and Galileo's second orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes on Jupiter's moon Io in the region around Volund as seen by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in April 1979 (left frame) and NASA's Galileo spacecraft in September 1996 (right frame). North is to the top of both frames which are approximately 600 kilometers by 600 kilometers. Note the new linear feature, which may be a volcanic fissure, trending east from the southern end of Volund. Dark diffuse material lies to the west and a ring of bright material which may be SO2- rich plume deposits appears to be centered near the middle of the new linear feature. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galileo's First
…
PIA01072
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo's First Image of Amalthea |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Galileo's first view of Amalthea, a small inner moon of Jupiter, showing the end of the elongated satellite that faces permanently toward the giant planet. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The circular feature that dominates the upper-right portion of the disk is Pan, the largest crater on Amalthea. This crater is about 90 kilometers wide. The bright spot at the south pole is associated with another, slightly smaller crater named Gaea. The Universal Time is 8 hours, 18 minutes, 0 seconds on the 7th of September, 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Two Galileo Vie
…
PIA01075
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Two Galileo Views of Thebe |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These two images of the Jovian moon Thebe were taken by Galileo's solid state imaging system in November 1996 and June 1997, respectively. North is approximately up in both cases. Thebe, whose longest dimension is approximately 116 kilometers (72 miles) across, is tidally locked so that the same side of the satellite always points towards Jupiter, similar to how the nearside of our own Moon always points toward Earth. In such a tidally locked state, one side of Thebe always points in the direction in which Thebe moves as it orbits about Jupiter. This is called the "leading side" of the moon and is shown at the left. The image on the right emphasizes the side of Thebe that faces away from Jupiter (the "anti-Jupiter" side). Note that there appear to be at least three or four very large impact craters on the satellite--very large in the sense that each of these craters is roughly comparable in size to the radius of Thebe. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Changes on Io b
…
PIA01070
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changes on Io between Voyager 1 and Galileo's second orbit around an unnamed vent North of Prometheus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Detail of changes around a probable vent about 650 kilometers north of Prometheus on Jupiter's moon Io as seen in images obtained by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in April 1979 (left) and the imaging system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on September 7th, 1996 (right). The re-arranging of dark and light radial surface patterns may be a result of plume fallout. North is to the top of both images which are approximately 400 kilometers square. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Dynamics of Jup
…
PIA01083
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Dynamics of Jupiter's Great Red Spot in the near-infrared |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Dynamics of Jupiter's Great Red Spot in the NIR filter (756 nm) of the Galileo imaging system. Each of the three frames is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. There is a nine-hour separation between the first two frames and seventy minutes between the next two. All of the images were taken on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles and the amount of cloud cover. Winds in the outer part of the Red Spot reach 250 mph while the center remains quiescent. These Galileo data will help scientists understand what drives this storm and why it persists for so many years. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Io's Kanehekili
…
PIA01220
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io's Kanehekili Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This color composite of Io, acquired by Galileo during its ninth orbit (C9) of Jupiter, shows the hemisphere of Io which is centered at longitude 52 degrees. The dark feature just to the lower right of the center of the disk is called Kanehekili. Named after an Hawaiian thunder god, Kanehekili contains two persistent high temperature hot spots and a "new" active volcanic plume. NASA's Voyager spacecraft returned images of nine active plumes during its 1979 flyby of this dynamic satellite. To date, Galileo's plume monitoring observations have shown continued activity at four of those nine plume locations as well as new activity at six other locations. North is to the top of the picture which combines images acquired using violet, green, and near-infrared (756 micrometers) filters. The resolution is 21 kilometers per picture element. The images were taken on June 27, 1997 at a range of 1,033,000 kilometers by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
The Main Ring o
…
The ring system
…
1/17/97
| Date |
1/17/97 |
| Description |
The ring system of Jupiter was imaged by the Galileo spacecraft on November 9, 1996. In this image the west ansa of Jupiter's main ring is seen at a resolution of 24 kilometers per pixel. The ring clearly shows radial structure that had only been hinted at in the Voyager images. The plot of the brightness of ring as a function of location, going from the inner-most edge of the image to the outer-most through the thickest part of the ring, shows the "dips" in brightness due to perturbations from satellites. Two small satellites, Adrastea and Metis, which are not seen in this image, orbit through the outer portion of the ansa, their location relative to these radial features will be available after further data analysis. The ring's faint halo is seen to arise in the inner main ring just as it fades. Although most of Jupiter's ring is composed of small grains that should be highly perturbed by the strong Jovian magnetosphere, the ring's brightness drops abruptly at the outer edge. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
This image of E
…
1/17/97
| Date |
1/17/97 |
| Description |
This image of Europa, an icy satellite of Jupiter, was obtained from a range of 39028 miles (62089 kilometers) by the Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit around Jupiter and its first close pass of Europa. The image spans an area 78 miles by 244 miles (126 km by 393 km), and shows features as small as a mile (1.6 km) across. Sun illumination is from the right, revealing several ridges crossing the scene, plateaus commonly several miles (10 km) across, and patches of smooth, low-lying darker materials. No prominent impact craters are visible, indicating the surface in this location is not geologically ancient. Some ridges have gaps, and subtle textural differences in these areas indicate that missing ridge segments probably were swept away by volcanic flows. The flow deposits are probably composed mainly of water ice, the chief constituent of the surface of Europa. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
This image of E
…
1/17/97
| Date |
1/17/97 |
| Description |
This image of Europa, an icy satellite of Jupiter about the size of the Earth's Moon, was obtained from a range of 7415 miles (11933 kilometers) by the Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit around Jupiter and its first close pass of Europa. The image spans 30 miles by 57 miles (48 km by 91 km) and shows features as small as 800 feet (240 meters) across. The large circular feature centered in the upper middle of the image is called a macula, and could be the scar of a large meteorite impact. The surface of Europa is composed mostly of water ice, so large impact craters on Europa could look different from large bowl-shaped depressions formed by impact into rock, such as on the Moon. On Europa's icy surface, the original impact crater has been modified into a central zone of rugged topography surrounded by circular fractures which reflect adjustments to stress in the surrounding icy crust. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
This image of J
…
1/17/97
| Date |
1/17/97 |
| Description |
This image of Jupiter's satellite Europa was obtained from a range of 7364 miles (11851 km) by the Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit around Jupiter and its first close pass of Europa. The image spans 30 miles by 57 miles (48 km x 91 km) and shows features as small as 800 feet (240 meters) across, a resolution more than 150 times better than the best Voyager coverage of this area. The sun illuminates the scene from the right. The large circular feature in the upper left of the image could be the scar of a large meteorite impact. Clusters of small craters seen in the right of the image may mark sites where debris thrown from this impact fell back to the surface. Prominent doublet ridges over a mile (1.6 km) wide cross the plains in the right part of the image, younger ridges overlap older ones, allowing the sequence of formation to be determined. Gaps in ridges indicate areas where emplacement of new surface material has obliterated pre-existing terrain. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
Callisto Scarp
…
This mosaic of
…
2/10/97
| Date |
2/10/97 |
| Description |
This mosaic of two images shows an area within the Valhalla region on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. North is to the top of the mosaic and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The smallest details that can be discerned in this picture are knobs and small impact craters about 155 meters (170 yards) across. The mosaic covers an area approximately 38 kilometers (24 miles) across. A prominent fault scarp crosses the mosaic. This scarp is one of many structural features that form the Valhalla multi- ring structure, which has a diameter of 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles). Scientists believe Valhalla is the result of a large impact early in the history of Callisto. Several smaller ridges are found parallel to the prominent scarp. Numerous impact craters ranging in size from 155 meters (170 yards) to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) are seen in the mosaic. The images which form this mosaic were obtained by the solid state imaging system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Nov. 4, 1996 (Universal Time). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. ##### |
|
Asgard Scarp Mo
…
Low-resolution
…
2/10/97
| Date |
2/10/97 |
| Description |
Low-resolution color data were combined with a higher resolution mosaic to produce this infrared composite image of a pair of ancient multi-ringed impact basins on Jupiter's moon, Callisto. The region imaged is on the leading hemisphere of Callisto near 26 degrees north, 142 degrees west, and is almost 1,400 kilometers (860 miles) across. North is toward the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the east. Dominating the scene is the impact structure, Asgard, centered on the smooth, bright region near the middle of the picture and surrounded by concentric rings up to 1,700 kilometers (about 1,050 miles) in diameter. A second ringed structure with a diameter of about 500 kilometers (310 miles) can be seen to the north of Asgard, partially obscured by the more recent, bright- rayed crater, Burr. The icy materials excavated by the younger craters contrast sharply with the darker and redder coatings on older surfaces of Callisto. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. ##### |
|
Pwyll Crater on
…
Pwyll crater on
…
4/9/97
| Date |
4/9/97 |
| Description |
Pwyll crater on Jupiter's moon, Europa, was photographed by the Solid State Imaging system on the Galileo spacecraft during its sixth orbit around Jupiter. This impact crater is located at 26 degrees south latitude, 271 degrees west longitude, and is about 26 kilometers (16 miles) in diameter. Lower resolution pictures of Pwyll Crater taken earlier in the mission show that material ejected by the impact can be traced for hundreds of miles across the icy surface of Europa. The dark zone seen here in and around the crater is material excavated from several kilometers (a few miles) below the surface. Also visible in this picture are complex ridges. The two images comprising this mosaic were taken on February 20, 1997 from a distance of 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) by the Galileo spacecraft. The area shown is about 120 kilometers by 100 kilometers (75 miles by 60 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. ##### |
|
Jupiter's White
…
These images sh
…
10/14/98
| Date |
10/14/98 |
| Description |
These images show a newly created large-scale storm on Jupiter, known as a white oval. This storm is the size of Earth and was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo spacecraft's photopolarimeter radiometer in July 1998. The color composite image shown in the upper panel was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide-Field/Planetary Camera on July 16, 1998. The image in the lower panel was created from data taken by Galileo's photopolarimeter experiment on July 20, 1998, and it is sensitive to Jupiter's atmospheric temperatures. The white oval is believed to be the result of a merger between two smaller, 50-year-old ovals sometime in February, 1998. This white oval may be the strongest storm in the solar system outside Jupiter's 200-year old Great Red Spot. The Galileo spacecraft's measurements of the temperature field show that the feature is distinctly colder than its surroundings, as would be expected from rapidly upwelling winds in the center of the feature, and this temperature difference is at least as large as that of the two former white ovals. The temperature measurements also show that the feature to the left of the new white oval, once distinctly warmer that its surroundings (as expected of downdrafts) has cooled off. More images and information on the Galileo mission are available on the Internet at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . The Hubble Space Telescope image is courtesy of Amy Simon and Reta Beebe, New Mexico State University, and the Space Telescope Science Institute. 10/8/98 JP |
|
GALILEO
The Galileo ima
…
5/25/94
| Date |
5/25/94 |
| Description |
The Galileo imaging system captured this picture of the limb of the asteroid 243 Ida about 46 seconds after its closest approach on August 28, 1993, from a range of only 2480 kilometers. It is the highest-resolution image of an asteroid's surface ever captured and shows detail at a scale of about 25 meters per pixel. This image is one frame of a mosaic of 15 frames shuttered near Galileo's closest approach to Ida. Since the exact location of Ida in space was not well-known prior to the Galileo flyby, this mosaic was estimated to have only about a 50 percent chance of capturing Ida. Fortunately, this single frame did successfully image a part of the sunlit side of Ida. The area seen in this frame shows some of the same territory seen in a slightly lower resolution full-disk mosaic of Ida returned from the spacecraft in September, 1993, but from a different perspective. Prominent in this view is a 2-kilometer- deep "valley" seen in profile on the limb. This limb profile and the stereoscopic effect between this image and the full-disk mosaic will permit detailed refinement of Ida's shape in this region. This high-resolution view shows many small craters and some grooves on the surface of Ida, which give clues to understanding the history of this heavily impacted object. The Galileo project, whose primary mission is the exploration of the Jupiter system in 1995-97, is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. ##### |
|
Highest Resolut
…
This image, acq
…
5/31/00
| Date |
5/31/00 |
| Description |
This image, acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on February 22, 2000, is the highest resolution image ever taken of Io. The resolution is 5.2 meters (18 feet) per picture element. Galileo viewed the surface obliquely, tilted 72 degrees from straight overhead. Illumination is from the lower right, but the topographic shading is difficult to see because of the strong contrasts in brightness of the surface materials. The bright areas are generally higher in elevation than adjacent dark areas. The surface appears to have been eroded by an unknown process, in places exposing layers of bright and dark material. Evaporation of solid ice may also play a role in separating the bright and dark materials. North is toward the upper right. Also shown is a version of this image processed to give a bird's- eye view over the terrain. This image maps out the true distribution of bright and dark surface materials. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
|
Aurora Borealis
…
This image, tak
…
2/10/97
| Date |
2/10/97 |
| Description |
This image, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, shows the dark side of Jupiter, the part not illuminated by sunlight. The curved line crossing from the lower left to the upper right is the auroral arc on the horizon. With north at the top of the image, the central part of the auroral arc has a latitude of 57 degrees north. When this same region was imaged 30 seconds later, the central part had changed. The left and right boxes below show a magnified view of the central region at the earlier and later times, respectively. The aurora is dynamic on Jupiter, just as it is here on Earth. The eerie, glowing light is created when molecules in the upper atmosphere are struck by charge particles from the space around Jupiter. Fluctuations in the charged particle flow cause variations in the auroral emission. This image was part of a multi-instrument set of observations made as Galileo flew through a region of space rich in charged particles. The particles follow the magnetic field and, in this case, the spacecraft was flying through the particular field line that was imaged. With these observations, scientists hope to learn more about the particles and their interaction with the molecules in the atmosphere. This image provides a severe test of the camera optics. The overexposed region at the lower right is the illuminated part of the planet, which is much brighter than the aurora. When light from this region is scattered into the telescope, it creates a diffuse background. The long exposure subjects the detector to more cosmic rays than usual. These create spikes, the bright dots that are sprinkled throughout the image. These images were taken in the clear filter of the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard the Galileo spacecraft on Nov. 5, 1996. Each pixel subtends a square about 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) throughout the image. The range is 1.433 million kilometers (0.89 million miles). Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and its magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. ##### |
|
False Color Mos
…
This false colo
…
2/10/97
| Date |
2/10/97 |
| Description |
This false color mosaic shows a belt-zone boundary near Jupiter's equator. The images that make up the four quadrants of this mosaic were taken within a few minutes of each other. Light at each of Galileo's three near-infrared wavelengths is displayed here in the visible colors red, green and blue. Light at 886 nanometers, strongly absorbed by atmospheric methane and scattered from clouds high in the atmosphere, is shown in red. Light at 732 nanometers, moderately absorbed by atmospheric methane, is shown in green. Light at 757 nanometers, scattered mostly from Jupiter's lower visible cloud deck, is shown in blue. The lower cloud deck appears bluish white, while the higher layer appears pinkish. The holes in the upper layer and their relationships to features in the lower cloud deck can be studied in the lower half of the mosaic. Galileo is the first spacecraft to image different layers in Jupiter's atmosphere. The edge of the planet runs along the right side of the mosaic. North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes -13 to +3 degrees and is centered at longitude 280 degrees west. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on Nov. 5, 1996, at a range of 1.2 million kilometers by the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. ##### |
|
Jupiter Equator
…
True and false
…
6/5/97
| Date |
6/5/97 |
| Description |
True and false color views of Jupiter from NASA's Galileo spacecraft show an equatorial 'hotspot' on Jupiter. These images cover an area 34,000 kilometers by 11,000 kilometers (about 21,100 by 6,800 miles). The top mosaic combines the violet and near infrared continuum filter images to create an image similar to how Jupiter would appear to human eyes. Differences in coloration are due to the composition and abundances of trace chemicals in Jupiter's atmosphere. The bottom mosaic uses Galileo's three near-infrared wavelengths displayed in red, green, and blue) to show variations in cloud height and thickness. Bluish clouds are high and thin, reddish clouds are low, and white clouds are high and thick. The dark blue hotspot in the center is a hole in the deep cloud with an overlying thin haze. The light blue region to the left is covered by a very high haze layer. The multicolored region to the right has overlapping cloud layers of different heights. Galileo is the first spacecraft to distinguish cloud layers on Jupiter. North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 10 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees west. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers (about 930,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging camera system aboard Galileo. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
Jupiter Equator
…
This photograph
…
6/5/97
| Date |
6/5/97 |
| Description |
This photographic mosaic of images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft covers an area of 34,000 kilometers by 22,000 kilometers (about 21,100 by 13,600 miles) in Jupiter's equatorial region. The dark region near the center of the mosaic is an equatorial 'hotspot' similar to the site where the Galileo Probe parchuted into Jupiter's atmosphere in December 1995. These features are holes in the bright, reflective, equatorial cloud layer where heat from Jupiter's deep atmosphere can pass through. The circulation patterns observed here along with the composition measurements from the Galileo Probe suggest that dry air may be converging and sinking over these regions, maintaining their cloud-free appearance. The bright oval in the upper right of the mosaic as well as the other smaller bright features are examples of upwelling of moist air and condensation. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers (about 930,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging camera system aboard Galileo. North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 19 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees west. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
Caldera-like de
…
The shallow, sc
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
The shallow, scalloped depression in the center of this picture from NASA's Galileo spacecraft is a caldera-like feature 5 to 20 kilometers (3 to 12 miles) wide on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. Calderas are surface depressions formed by collapse above a subsurface concentration of molten material. Some shallow depressions in bright, smooth areas of Ganymede have some overall similarities to calderas on Earth and on Jupiter's moon Io. On Ganymede, caldera-like depressions may serve as sources of bright, volcanic flows of liquid water and slush, an idea supported by a Ganymede photo obtained by Galileo during its seventh orbit and available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi- bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA01614 . In the more recent image here, from Galileo's 28th orbit, a tall scarp marks the western boundary of a caldera-like feature. The western scarp is aligned similarly to older tectonic grooves visible in the image, suggesting the feature has collapsed along older lines of weakness. The interior is mottled in appearance, yet smooth compared to most of Ganymede's bright terrain seen at high resolution. The eastern boundary of the caldera-like feature is cut by younger, grooved terrain. Small impact craters pepper the scene, but the lack of a raised rim argues against an impact origin for the caldera-like feature itself. Instead, water-rich icy lava may have once flowed out of it toward the east. If so, later tectonism could have erased any telltale evidence of volcanic flow fronts. Direct evidence for icy volcanism on Ganymede continues to be elusive. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The image, centered at -24 degrees latitude and 318 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 162 by 119 kilometers (101 by 74 miles). The resolution is 43 meters (141 feet) per picture element. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
|
Asteroid Gaspra
…
| Title |
Asteroid Gaspra's Best Face |
| Explanation |
Above is the best yet color image of the asteroid Gaspra [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/bestgaspra.html ] based on data returned by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Color variations have been added to high resolution images and enhanced to highlight changes in reflectivity, surface structure and composition. The illuminated portion of the asteroid [ http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/nineplanets/nineplanets/asteroids.html ] is about 11 miles long. Galileo encountered Gaspra on October 29, 1991 during the cruise phase of its mission to study the Jovian system. When it arrives at Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951013.html ], in December 1995, the robot spacecraft's atmospheric probe will descend into Jupiter's atmosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950625.html ], becoming the first ever probe to enter the atmosphere of a gas giant planet. Updates on Galileo's progress can be found at "Online from Jupiter" [ http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/jupiter.html ]. |
|
Ida and Dactyl:
…
| Title |
Ida and Dactyl: Asteroid and Moon |
| Explanation |
This asteroid has a moon [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/idadactyl_false.txt ]! The robot spacecraft [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/spacecraft.html ] Galileo currently exploring the Jovian system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970612.html ], encountered and photographed two asteroids [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/smb.htm ] during its long journey to Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/jupiter.html ]. The second asteroid it photographed, Ida, was discovered to have a moon [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/idamoon.html ] which appears as a small dot to the right of Ida in this picture [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/photogallery-asteroids.html#ida ]. The tiny moon, named Dactyl [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/idamnhi.html ], is about one mile across, while the potato shaped Ida measures about 36 miles long and 14 miles wide. Dactyl is the first moon of an asteroid ever discovered. The names Ida and Dactyl [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/photo_gallery/caption/dactyl.txt ] are based on characters in Greek mythology [ http://www.greekmythology.com/ ]. Do other asteroids have moons? [ http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/NEAR/Education/NEARcurrlynx.html ] |
|
Uruk Sulcus Mos
…
PIA00493
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Uruk Sulcus Mosaic - Galileo over Voyager Data |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A mosaic of four Galileo images of the Uruk Sulcus region on Ganymede (Latitude 11 N, Longitude: 170 W) is shown overlayed on the data obtained by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979. North is to the top of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left, nearly overhead. The area shown is about 120 by 110 kilometers (75 by 68 miles) in extent and the smallest features that can be discerned are 74 meters (243 feet) in size in the Galileo images and 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) in the Voyager data. The higher resolution Galileo images unveil the details of parallel ridges and troughs that are principal features in the brighter regions of Ganymede. High photometric activity (large light contrast at high spatial frequencies) of this ice-rich surface was such that the Galileo camera's hardware data compressor was pushed into truncating lines. The north-south running gap between the left and right halves of the mosaic is a result of line truncation from the normal 800 samples per line to about 540. The images were taken on 27 June, 1996 Universal Time at a range of 7,448 kilometers (4,628 miles) through the clear filter of the Galileo spacecraft's imaging system. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Voyager-to-Gali
…
PIA01063
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Voyager-to-Galileo Changes, Io's Anti-Jove Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Shown here is a comparison of a Galileo color image (right) of Jupiter's moon Io, with a Voyager mosaic (left) reprojected to the same geometry as the Galileo image. The image on the right was obtained by the Galileo spacecraft's imaging camera on September 7th, 1996, the mosaic on the left was obtained by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. Color is synthesized from green and violet filters only in both cases, as these are the only two filters that are reasonably similar between Voyager and Galileo. Many surface changes can be seen due to volcanic activity from 1979 to 1996. North is to the top of both frames. Galileo was about 487,000 kilometers (302,000 miles) from Io on September 7, 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Ganymede - Gali
…
PIA00281
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede - Galileo Mosaic Overlayed on Voyager Data in Uruk Sulcus Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A mosaic of four Galileo high-resolution images of the Uruk Sulcus region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede is shown within the context of an image of the region taken by Voyager 2 in 1979. The image shows details of parallel ridges and troughs that are the principal features in the brighter regions of Ganymede. The Galileo frames unveil the fine-scale topography of Ganymede's ice-rich surface, permitting scientists to develop a detailed understanding of the processes that have shaped Ganymede. Resolution of the Galileo images is 74 meters (243 feet) per pixel, while resolution of the Voyager image is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) per pixel. In this view, north is to the top, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left nearly overhead. The area shown, at latitude 10 degrees north, longitude 168 degrees west, is about 120 by 110 kilometers (75 by 68 miles) in extent. The image was taken June 27 at a range of 7,448 kilometers (4,628 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
|
Caldera in Sipp
…
PIA03217
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Caldera in Sippar Sulcus, Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
An irregularly shaped caldera, or pit, within the bright swath called Sippar Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede dominates this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The high-standing interior of the caldera is interpreted as evidence of the flow of a viscous material. Elevation modeling indicates the height of the westernmost caldera floor material (arrow) is comparable to adjacent grooved material but decreases towards the east (right), where it is similar to nearby, lower-lying smooth terrain. The smooth terrain, generally lacking grooves or stripes, extends across the upper half of the image and crosscuts a similar but grooved band at the lower right. Analysis of such high-resolution images in combination with estimates of the features' relative elevations is helping scientists interpret the roles of volcanism and tectonics in creating the bright terrain on Ganymede. This image was prepared by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, and included in a report by Dr. Paul Schenk et al. in the March 1, 2001, edition of the journal Nature. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. |
|
Ridges and Trou
…
PIA03216
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ridges and Troughs in Sippar Sulcus, Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Embayment of ridges and troughs in a portion of the Sippar Sulcus area of Jupiter's moon Ganymede in this image from NASA's Galileo spacecraft is interpreted as evidence that the low-lying area was filled in by flooding with low-viscosity material, such as water or water-ice slush lavas. Bays of the material appeared to have formed in troughs (indicated by arrows) between the ridges. The smallest features visible are about 180 meters (590 feet) across. Analysis of such high-resolution images in combination with estimates of the features' relative elevations is helping scientists interpret the roles of volcanism and tectonics in creating the bright terrain on Ganymede. This image was prepared by the Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, and included in a report by Dr. Paul Schenk et al. in the March 1, 2001, edition of the journal Nature. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . |
|
Gibbous Europa
| Title |
Gibbous Europa |
| Explanation |
Although the phase [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010218.html ] of this moon might appear familiar, the moon itself might not. In fact, this gibbous phase [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbous ] shows part of Jupiter [ http://www.nineplanets.org/jupiter.html ]'s moon Europa [ http://www.nineplanets.org/europa.html ]. The robot spacecraft Galileo [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Galileo_%28spacecraft%29 ] captured this image [ http://planetimages.blogspot.com/2005/09/ new-color-views-of-europa.html ] mosaic during its mission orbiting Jupiter from 1995 - 2003. Visible are plains [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981215.html ] of bright ice [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000418.html ], cracks [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980310.html ] that run to the horizon, and dark patches [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970815.html ] that likely contain both ice and dirt. Raised terrain [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980303.html ] is particularly apparent near the terminator [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Terminator_%28solar%29 ], where it casts shadows [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001225.html ]. Europa [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961120.html ] is nearly the same size as Earth's Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020127.html ], but much smoother, showing few highlands [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/moon/ moon_surface.html ] or large impact craters [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010809.html ]. Evidence and images from the Galileo spacecraft [ http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo/ ], indicated that liquid oceans might exist [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980102.html ] below the icy surface. To test speculation that these seas hold life, ESA [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Space_Agency ] has started preliminary development of the Jovian Europa Orbiter [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/europaorbiter/europao.htm ], a spacecraft proposed to orbit Europa. If the surface ice is thin enough, a future mission might drop hydrobots [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/mission/ journey-future.html ] to burrow into the oceans and search for life. |
|
Nine Datasets o
…
| Title |
Nine Datasets on a Single Globe with Wipe Between Different Datasets |
| Abstract |
Single globe with wipe between different datasets. Sequence: Galileo, radiant energy, vegetation index anomalies, temperature, fires, aerosols, clouds, methane, water vapor, biosphere, Galileo |
| Completed |
1999-11-10 |
|
Global image of
…
PIA02309
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global image of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. A true color version [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02308 ] of the mosaic has been created to show how Io would appear to the human eye. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color units which had not been recognized previously and which suggest that the lavas and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (Cutout locations), (Cutout A). Some of the bright (whitish), high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (Cutout B). Bright red areas were seen previously only as diffuse deposits. However, they are now seen to exist as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (Cutout C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur rather than silicate lava (Cutout D). In this region bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo will make two close passes of Io beginning in October of this year. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination geometry is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and the rugged topography over parts of Io. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL |
|
Global image of
…
PIA02309
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global image of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. A true color version [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02308 ] of the mosaic has been created to show how Io would appear to the human eye. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color units which had not been recognized previously and which suggest that the lavas and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (Cutout locations), (Cutout A). Some of the bright (whitish), high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (Cutout B). Bright red areas were seen previously only as diffuse deposits. However, they are now seen to exist as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (Cutout C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur rather than silicate lava (Cutout D). In this region bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo will make two close passes of Io beginning in October of this year. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination geometry is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and the rugged topography over parts of Io. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL |
|
Global image of
…
PIA02309
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global image of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. A true color version [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02308 ] of the mosaic has been created to show how Io would appear to the human eye. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color units which had not been recognized previously and which suggest that the lavas and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (Cutout locations), (Cutout A). Some of the bright (whitish), high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (Cutout B). Bright red areas were seen previously only as diffuse deposits. However, they are now seen to exist as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (Cutout C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur rather than silicate lava (Cutout D). In this region bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo will make two close passes of Io beginning in October of this year. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination geometry is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and the rugged topography over parts of Io. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL |
|
Global image of
…
PIA02309
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global image of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. A true color version [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02308 ] of the mosaic has been created to show how Io would appear to the human eye. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color units which had not been recognized previously and which suggest that the lavas and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (Cutout locations), (Cutout A). Some of the bright (whitish), high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (Cutout B). Bright red areas were seen previously only as diffuse deposits. However, they are now seen to exist as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (Cutout C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur rather than silicate lava (Cutout D). In this region bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo will make two close passes of Io beginning in October of this year. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination geometry is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and the rugged topography over parts of Io. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL |
|
Global image of
…
PIA02309
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global image of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. A true color version [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02308 ] of the mosaic has been created to show how Io would appear to the human eye. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color units which had not been recognized previously and which suggest that the lavas and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (Cutout locations), (Cutout A). Some of the bright (whitish), high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (Cutout B). Bright red areas were seen previously only as diffuse deposits. However, they are now seen to exist as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (Cutout C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur rather than silicate lava (Cutout D). In this region bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to the ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo will make two close passes of Io beginning in October of this year. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination geometry is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and the rugged topography over parts of Io. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL |
|
Galileo PPR tem
…
PIA02524
Jupiter
| Title |
Galileo PPR temperature maps of Loki in October 1999 |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Like a terrestrial weather map, this map made by the photopolarimeter-radiometer onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft shows how temperatures vary across the surface of Jupiter's moon Io. However, in this case the temperatures are due to volcanic activity, not weather. The maps show Io's most powerful volcano, Loki, which was in the throes of one of its periodic bright eruptions when the map was made during Galileo's close flyby of Io on October. The background to the temperature map is a Galileo image of Loki taken earlier in the Galileo mission. Loki's most prominent feature is the huge horseshoe-shaped dark caldera, 200 kilometers (120 miles) across. These observations reveal that most of the lava lake is at a remarkably uniform temperature, about -23 degrees C (-9 degrees F). This is chilly by Earth standards, but on Io, where most of the surface is colder than -145 degrees C (-230 degrees F), enormous amounts of volcanic heat are required to keep such a large area at this temperature. The uniform temperature, which was also seen by Galileo's Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, could be due to a uniformly thick frozen crust over a lake of molten lava, or to a series of old lava flows that have been cooling down for a year or two since they erupted. The southwestern corner of the caldera is much hotter the highest resolution photopolarimeter-radiometer observation shows peak temperatures of at least 126 degrees C (260 F). It is likely that this is the site of the new eruption that began in September, and that fresh lava erupting there will eventually spill out from this region to warm up the parts of the caldera to the east and north. 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Amirani-Maui: L
…
PIA02506
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Amirani-Maui: Longest Known Active Lava Flow in the Solar System |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This pair of volcanic features on Jupiter's moon Io represents the longest active lava flow known to exist in our solar system. This image, one of the highest resolution pictures ever taken of Io, was obtained by NASA s Galileo spacecraft on July 3, 1999. That was during Galileo's closest pass by Io since it entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995. The volcanic features, Amirani (right side of image) and Maui (to the left, just below the center of the image), were originally thought to be two separate volcanoes. However, Galileo images have shown that Maui is actually the active front of a lava flow that has extended westward from a vent at Amirani for more than 250 kilometers (160 miles). Observations by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer show a hotspot at Maui, so the lava must still be flowing. Other flows extend northward from the Amirani vent. White plume deposits encircle the Amirani vent and are likely to be sulfur dioxide-rich vapors that have escaped at the vent, frozen and then snowed out onto the ground. The red deposits from the dark spot southwest of the Amirani vent appear to have been blown away from the stronger Amirani plume. The red material may be produced by a form of sulfur. Amirani-Maui is more than 250 kilometers (160 miles) long. Such gigantic lava flows are found on Venus, the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Massive eruptions on the Earth coincide with the times of major extinction events. The image, in false color, uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera, processed to enhance subtle color variations. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. The image is centered at 23 degrees north latitude and 118 degrees west longitude. The images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard solid state imaging camera and have a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 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 Caltech. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found athttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Amirani-Maui: L
…
PIA02506
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Amirani-Maui: Longest Known Active Lava Flow in the Solar System |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This pair of volcanic features on Jupiter's moon Io represents the longest active lava flow known to exist in our solar system. This image, one of the highest resolution pictures ever taken of Io, was obtained by NASA s Galileo spacecraft on July 3, 1999. That was during Galileo's closest pass by Io since it entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995. The volcanic features, Amirani (right side of image) and Maui (to the left, just below the center of the image), were originally thought to be two separate volcanoes. However, Galileo images have shown that Maui is actually the active front of a lava flow that has extended westward from a vent at Amirani for more than 250 kilometers (160 miles). Observations by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer show a hotspot at Maui, so the lava must still be flowing. Other flows extend northward from the Amirani vent. White plume deposits encircle the Amirani vent and are likely to be sulfur dioxide-rich vapors that have escaped at the vent, frozen and then snowed out onto the ground. The red deposits from the dark spot southwest of the Amirani vent appear to have been blown away from the stronger Amirani plume. The red material may be produced by a form of sulfur. Amirani-Maui is more than 250 kilometers (160 miles) long. Such gigantic lava flows are found on Venus, the Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Massive eruptions on the Earth coincide with the times of major extinction events. The image, in false color, uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera, processed to enhance subtle color variations. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. The image is centered at 23 degrees north latitude and 118 degrees west longitude. The images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard solid state imaging camera and have a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 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 Caltech. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found athttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Galileo at Io a
…
NASA's Galileo
…
5/3/96
| Date |
5/3/96 |
| Description |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft has found Jupiter's volcanic moon Io to have a huge iron core that takes up half its diameter. The spacecraft's 899-kilometer (559-mile) flyby of Io on December 7, 1995 is depicted in this computer graphics painting. Galileo also detected a large "hole" in Jupiter's magnetic field near Io, leading to speculation about whether Io possesses its own magnetic field. If so, it would be the first planetary moon known to have one. The mission is conducted for NASA by JPL. |
|
Galileo at Io a
…
NASA's Galileo
…
5/3/96
| Date |
5/3/96 |
| Description |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft has found Jupiter's volcanic moon Io to have a huge iron core that takes up half its diameter. The spacecraft's 899 kilometer (559-mile) flyby of Io on December 7, 1995 is depicted in this computer graphics painting. Galileo also detected a large "hole" in Jupiter's magnetic field near Io, leading to speculation about whether Io possesses its own magnetic field. If so, it would be the first planetary moon known to have one. The mission is conducted for NASA by JPL. |
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Galileo at Amal
…
| title |
Galileo at Amalthea |
| description |
An artist's concept of Galileo passing near Jupiter's small inner moon Amalthea. Galileo flew past the tiny moon in November 2002. *Image Credit*: Michael Carroll and NASA |
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North to the Mo
…
| Title |
North to the Moon's Pole |
| Explanation |
This image is from the voyage of the intrepid Galileo spacecraft as it passed above the Moon's north pole on its long journey to Jupiter [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951206.html ]. It was made over 60 years after Admiral Byrd [ http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/ ] became the first to fly over the Earth's north pole [ http://www-bprc.mps.ohio-state.edu/Arctic.html ]. Within a superposed frame of lattitude and longitude lines much of the Moon's familiar face [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950903.html ], dominated by smooth dark mare [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960112.html ], is brightly lit. Near the pole itself, the harsh shadows reveal a rugged, cratered lunarscape [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960420.html ]. |
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Io's Atmosphere
…
The atmosphere
…
12/30/00
| Date |
12/30/00 |
| Description |
The atmosphere and volcanic hotspots of Jupiter's moon Io are apparent in this view of the moon in eclipse, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Galileo is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. |
|
Surface Changes
…
PIA00713
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Surface Changes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Four views of an unnamed volcanic center (latitude 11, longitude 337) on Jupiter's moon Io showing changes seen on June 27th, 1996 by the Galileo spacecraft as compared to views seen by the Voyager spacecraft during the 1979 flybys. Clockwise from upper left is a Voyager 1 high resolution image, a Voyager 1 color image, a Galileo color image, and a Voyager 2 color image. North is to the top of the picture. This area has experienced many changes in appearance since Voyager images were acquired, including new dark and bright deposits. This region was a hot spot during Voyager 1. Images are 762 km wide. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Secondary Crate
…
PIA01061
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Secondary Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two large, ancient impact craters, known as palimpsests, have modified this area of dark terrain on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. In lower resolution images from the Voyager mission in 1979, it was observed that the diffuse edge of a large, circular bright feature cut through this area. This image was obtained by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft, on September 6, 1996, at a higher resolution of 190 meters (623 feet) per picture element (pixel). North is to the top. The diffuse margin of this palimpsest is noticeable only as a gradual increase in the area covered by bright hummocks toward the western edge of the image. A more recent palimpsest-forming impact to the south has peppered this area with chains and clusters of secondary craters ranging from 5.7 to 1.2 kilometers (3.5 to 0.7 miles) in diameter. The image covers an area of 73 by 65 kilometers (45 by 40 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Grooves and Cra
…
PIA01059
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Grooves and Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Grooved terrain in this area of Nippur Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede is composed of ridges and troughs spaced 1 to 2 kilometers (0.6 to 1.2 miles) apart. North is to the top. A few broad (4 to 5 kilometer (2.5 to 3.1 mile) wide) ridges such as those in the northeast and southwest corners have smaller ridges on top of them. A 12 kilometer (7 mile) diameter impact crater is superimposed on these ridges. A dark ring at the base of the crater walls may be due to a collection of dark material at the base of the steep slopes. The image is 49 by 41 kilometers (30 by 25 miles) with a resolution of 200 meters (656 feet) per picture element (pixel). This image was obtained on September 6, 1996 by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede Groove
…
PIA01056
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede Groove Lanes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
An ancient dark terrain surface is cut by orthogonal sets of fractures on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Subdued pits visible on unbroken blocks are the remnants of impact craters which have degraded with time. Across the top of the image, a line of these subdued pits may have been a chain of craters which are now cut apart by the northwest to southeast trending fractures. North is to the top. Younger craters appear as bright circles. The fractures in this image range from less than 100 meters (328 feet) to over a kilometer (0.62 miles) in width. They display bright walls where cleaner ice may be exposed, and deposits of dark material fill their floors. This 27 by 22 kilometer (17 by 14 mile) image of northern Marius Regio was obtained on September 6, 1996 by NASA's Galileo spacecraft at a resolution of 85 meters (278 feet) per picture element (pixel). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Fractures in Tr
…
PIA01062
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Fractures in Transitional Terrain on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This area of dark terrain on Jupiter's moon Ganymede lies near a transitional area between dark and bright terrain. The dark surface is cut by a pervasive network of fractures, which range in width from the limit of resolution up to 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles). Bright material is exposed in the walls of the chasms, and dark material fills the troughs. The impurities which darken the ice on the surface of dark terrain may be only a thin veneer over a brighter ice crust. Over time, these materials may be shed down steep slopes, where they collect in low areas. The image is 68 by 54 kilometers (42 by 33 miles), and has a resolution of 190 meters (623 feet) per picture element (pixel). North is to the top. This image was obtained on September 6, 1996 by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Global View of
…
PIA01064
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global View of Io (Natural and False/Enhanced Color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Global view of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io obtained on 07 September, 1996 Universal Time using the near-infrared, green, and violet filters of the Solid State Imaging system aboard NASA/JPL's Galileo spacecraft. The top disk is intended to show the satellite in natural color, similar to what the human eye would see (but colors will vary with display devices), while the bottom disk shows enhanced color to highlight surface details. The reddest and blackest areas are closely associated with active volcanic regions and recent surface deposits. Io was imaged here against the clouds of Jupiter. North is to the top of the frames. The finest details that can discerned in these frames are about 4.9 km across. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Fractured Crate
…
PIA01089
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Fractured Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two highly fractured craters are visible in this high resolution image of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. The two craters in the center of the image lie in the ancient dark terrain of Marius Regio, at 40 degrees latitude and 201 degrees longitude, at the border of a region of bright grooved terrain known as Byblus Sulcus (the eastern portion of which is visible on the left of this image). Pervasive fracturing has occurred in this area that has completely disrupted these craters and destroyed their southern and western walls. Such intense fracturing has occurred over much of Ganymede's surface and has commonly destroyed older features. The image covers an area approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) by 18 kilometers (11 miles) across at a resolution of 86 meters (287 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996 by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Topography of I
…
PIA01217
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Topography of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Io was acquired by Galileo during its ninth orbit (C9) of Jupiter as part of a sequence of images designed to cover Io at low illumination angles to map the landforms. Obtaining images at such illuminations is like taking a picture from a high altitude around sunrise or sunset. Such lighting conditions emphasize the topography of the volcanic satellite. Several mountains up to a few miles high can be seen in this view, especially near the upper right. Some of these mountains appear to be tilted crustal blocks. North is to the top of the picture. The resolution is 8.3 kilometers per picture element. The image was taken on June 27, 1997 at a range of 817,000 kilometers by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Motion in Jupit
…
PIA01230
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Motion in Jupiter's Atmospheric Vortices (Near-infrared filters) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two frame "movie" of a pair of vortices in Jupiter's southern hemisphere. The two frames are separated by ten hours. The right oval is rotating counterclockwise, like other anticyclonic bright vortices in Jupiter's atmosphere. The left vortex is a cyclonic (clockwise) vortex. The differences between them (their brightness, their symmetry, and their behavior) are clues to how Jupiter's atmosphere works. The frames span about fifteen degrees in latitude and longitude and are centered at 141 degrees west longitude and 36 degrees south planetocentric latitude. Both vortices are about 3500 kilometers in diameter in the north-south direction. The images were taken in near infrared light at 756 nanometers and show clouds that are at a pressure level of about 1 bar in Jupiter's atmosphere. North is at the top. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. These images were taken on May 7, 1997, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers by the Solid State Imaging system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Active Volcanic
…
PIA00703
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Active Volcanic Plumes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This color image, acquired during Galileo's ninth orbit around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon (see inset at upper right), erupting over a caldera (volcanic depression) named Pillan Patera after a South American god of thunder, fire and volcanoes. The plume seen by Galileo is 140 kilometers (86 miles) high and was also detected by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Galileo spacecraft will pass almost directly over Pillan Patera in 1999 at a range of only 600 kilometers (373 miles). The second plume, seen near the terminator (boundary between day and night), is called Prometheus after the Greek fire god (see inset at lower right). The shadow of the 75-kilometer (45- mile) high airborne plume can be seen extending to the right of the eruption vent. The vent is near the center of the bright and dark rings. Plumes on Io have a blue color, so the plume shadow is reddish. The Prometheus plume can be seen in every Galileo image with the appropriate geometry, as well as every such Voyager image acquired in 1979. It is possible that this plume has been continuously active for more than 18 years. In contrast, a plume has never been seen at Pillan Patera prior to the recent Galileo and Hubble Space Telescope images. North is toward the top of the picture. The resolution is about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) per picture element. This composite uses images taken with the green, violet and near infrared filters of the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The images were obtained on June 28, 1997, at a range of more than 600,000 kilometers (372,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Topography and
…
PIA00738
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Topography and Volcanoes on Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The images used to create this enhanced color composite of Io were acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its seventh orbit (G7) of Jupiter. Low sun angles near the terminator (day-night boundary near the left side of the image) offer lighting conditions which emphasize the topography or relief on the volcanic satellite. The topography appears very flat near the active volcanic centers such as Loki Patera (the large dark horse-shoe shaped feature near the terminator) while a variety of mountains and plateaus exist elsewhere. The big reddish-orange ring in the lower right is formed by material deposited from the eruption of Pele, Io's largest volcanic plume. North is to the top of this picture which merges images obtained with the clear, red, green, and violet filters of the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The resolution is 6.1 kilometers per picture element. The images were taken on April 4th, 1997 at a range of 600,000 kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Concurrent results from Galileo's exploration of Io appear in the October 15th, 1997 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. The papers are: * Temperature and Area Constraints of the South Volund Volcano on Io from the NIMS and SSI Instruments during the Galileo G1 Orbit, by A.G. Davies, A.S. McEwen, R. Lopes-Gautier, L. Keszthelyi, R.W. Carlson and W.D. Smythe. * High-temperature hot spots on Io as seen by the Galileo Solid-State Imaging (SSI) experiment, by A. McEwen, D. Simonelli, D. Senske, K. Klassen, L. Keszthelyi, T. Johnson, P. Geissler, M. Carr, and M. Belton. * Io: Galileo evidence for major variations in regolith properties, by D. Simonelli, J. Veverka, and A. McEwen. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede Uruk S
…
PIA00579
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede Uruk Sulcus High Resolution Mosaic Shown in Context |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A mosaic of four Galileo high-resolution images of the Uruk Sulcus region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede (Latitude 11 N, Longitude: 170 W) is shown within the context of an image of the region taken by Voyager 2 in 1979, which in turn is shown within the context of a full-disk image of Ganymede. North is to the top of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left, nearly overhead. The area shown is about 120 by 110 kilometers (75 by 68 miles) in extent and the smallest features that can be discerned are 74 meters (243 feet) in size in the Galileo images and 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) in the Voyager data. The higher resolution Galileo images unveil the details of parallel ridges and troughs that are principal features in the brighter regions of Ganymede. High photometric activity (large light contrast at high spatial frequencies) of this ice-rich surface was such that the Galileo camera's hardware data compressor was pushed into truncating lines. The north-south running gap between the left and right halves of the mosaic is a result of line truncation from the normal 800 samples per line to about 540. The images were taken on 27 June, 1996 Universal Time at a range of 7,448 kilometers (4,628 miles) through the clear filter of the Galileo spacecraft's imaging system. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. |
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Flows on Europa
…
The icy surface
…
| Description |
The icy surface of Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter, was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft on its fourth orbit around Jupiter. The area shown here is about 77 miles (124 kilometers) by 115 miles (186 kilometers) across and shows features as small as a half a mile (800 meters) across. Thick, lobate flows, the first seen on Europa or any of the icy satellites of Jupiter, are visible in several areas, including the lower right quarter of the picture where one flow cuts across a prominent ridge. Most of the ridges on the left side of the picture appear to be partly buried or subdued by flows. The ice-rich surface of Europa suggests that the flows might also be ice, perhaps erupted onto the surface from the interior as viscous, glacierlike masses. This picture was taken by the solid state imaging television camera on board the Galileo spacecraft at a distance of 39,191 miles (63,490 kilometers). The picture is centered at 319.5 degrees West, 5.11 degrees North, north is toward the top of the image with the sun shining from the right to the left. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
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False Color Aur
…
Data from NASA'
…
6/5/97
| Date |
6/5/97 |
| Description |
Data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft were used to produce this false-color composite of Jupiter's northern aurora on the night side of the planet. The height of the aurora, the thickness of the auroral arc, and the small-scale structure are revealed for the first time. Images in Galileo's red, green, and clear filters are displayed in red, green, and blue respectively. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size, which is a ten- fold improvement over Hubble Space Telescope images and a hundred-fold improvement over ground-based images. The glow is caused by electrically charged particles impinging on the atmosphere from above. The particles travel along Jupiter's magnetic field lines, which are nearly vertical at this latitude. The auroral arc marks the boundary between the "closed" field lines that are attached to the planet at both ends and the "open" field lines that extend out into interplanetary space. At the boundary the particles have been accelerated over the greatest distances, and the glow is especially intense. The latitude-longitude lines refer to altitudes where the pressure is 1 bar. The image shows that the auroral emissions originate about 500 kilometers (about 310 miles) above this surface. The colored background is light scattered from Jupiter's bright crescent, which is out of view to the right. North is at the top. The images are centered at 57 degrees north and 184 degrees west and were taken on April 2, 1997 at a range of 1.7 million kilometers (1.05 million miles) by Galileo's Solid State Imaging (SSI) system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
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Europa--Ice Raf
…
A small region
…
12/16/97
| Date |
12/16/97 |
| Description |
A small region of the thin, disrupted ice crust in the Conamara region of Jupiter's moon Europa shows the interplay of surface color with ice structures in this image produced with data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft camera. The white and blue colors outline areas that have been blanketed by a fine dust of ice particles ejected when an explosive impact created the large crater Pwyll (26 kilometers or 16 miles in diameter) located some 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles) to the south. Also visible are a few small craters of less than 500 meters or 547 yards in diameter that were probably formed at the same when the impact likely threw out large, intact, blocks of around the area. The unblanketed surface has a reddish brown color that has been painted by mineral contaminants carried and spread by water vapor released from below the crust when it was disrupted. The original color of the icy surface was probably a deep blue seen in large areas elsewhere on Europa's surface. The colors in this picture have been enhanced for visibility. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the right. The image, centered at 9 degrees latitude and 86.5 degrees south longitude, covers an area approximately 70 by 30 kilometers (44 by 19 miles), and combines data taken by the Galileo Solid State Imaging (CCD) system during three of the spacecraft's orbits through the Jovian system. Low- resolution color (violet, green, and infrared) data acquired in September 1996 were combined with medium-resolution images from December 1996 to produce synthetic color images. These were then combined with a high-resolution mosaic of images acquired on Feb. 20, 1997 at a resolution of 54 meters (59 yards) per picture element and at a range of 5,340 kilometers (3,320 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of California Institute of Technology. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
High-Resolution
…
This mosaic of
…
12/16/97
| Date |
12/16/97 |
| Description |
This mosaic of images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft camera shows some of the highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Europa ever acquired. The hundreds of ridges that cut across each other indicate multiple episodes of ridge formation either by volcanic or tectonic activity within the ice. The images were taken on Nov. 6, 1997 from a range of about 3,250 kilometers (about 1,990 miles). North is to the top of the image and the Sun illuminates the scene from the left. Also visible in the image are numerous isolated mountains or "massifs". The highest of these, located in the upper right corner and lower center of the mosaic, are approximately 500 meters (1,640 feet) high. Irregularly shaped areas where the ice surface appears to be lower than the surrounding plains (in the left-center and lower left corner of the mosaic) may be related to the chaotic areas of iceberg-like features seen in earlier Galileo images of Europa. The mosaic, centered at 35.4 degrees north latitude and 86.8 degrees west longitude, covers an area of 66 by 55 kilometers (108 by 90 miles). The smallest distinguishable features in the image are about 68 meters (223 feet) across. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of California Institute of Technology. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
Regional Mosaic
…
This mosaic of
…
12/16/97
| Date |
12/16/97 |
| Description |
This mosaic of images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft camera shows a region of Jupiter's moon Europa that is characterized by dark and splotchy-looking terrain -- evidence of some of the most recent geologic activity on Europa. The mottled appearance results from chaotic areas where the bright, icy crust has broken apart to expose a darker material underneath. North is to the top of the image, and the Sun illuminates the scene from the right. The images were taken on Nov. 6. The smooth gray band at the lower part of image represents a zone where the Europan crust has been fractured, separated, and filled in with material from the interior. The chaotic terrain and the gray band show that Europa has been subjected to intense geological deformation. The mosaic is centered at 2.9 degrees south latitude and 234.1 degrees west longitude and covers an area of 261 kilometers by 168 kilometers (159 miles by 102 miles). The smallest distinguishable features in the image are about 229 meters (751 feet) across. These images were obtained on Nov. 6, 1997, when the Galileo spacecraft was approximately 21,700 kilometers (about 13,240 miles) from Europa. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of California Institute of Technology. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ##### |
|
Highest resolut
…
Lava flows simi
…
4/19/00
| Date |
4/19/00 |
| Description |
Lava flows similar to those found in Hawaii are seen in the black and white image at top, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. It is one of the highest resolution images (7 meters or 23 feet per picture element) ever obtained of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. The two horizontal black stripes are places where data were lost during transmission to Earth. The image shows the textures of lava flows on the floor of the caldera Chaac, which is shown in false color at lower resolution (185 meters or 607 feet per pixel element) in the bottom image. Calderas are depressions caused by collapse during volcanic eruptions. The one shown here is approximately 100 kilometers (63 miles) long and 30 kilometers (19 miles) across. Using shadow lengths from the new high-resolution observations, the northeastern (upper right) scarp, or line of cliffs, has been estimated to be 2.8 kilometers (9200 feet) high. The lava flows are similar in texture to lava flows within the caldera at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano. This suggests that the floor of Chaac has been covered by a combination of lava flows and lava lakes. The light-colored material surrounding the caldera may be composed of sulfur-dioxide frost or some other sulfur-rich material on the surface of Io. Galileo scientists believe that the greenish color on the caldera floor is a form of contaminated sulfur created when sulfur-rich material escaping from volcanic vents reacts chemically with warm lava flows. The high- resolution view shows numerous lava flows. The darkest flows are thought to be the most recent because they have not been covered by the sulfurous materials which coat most of Io's surface. The top image was acquired by Galileo on February 22, 2000. It was taken at a distance of 600 kilometers (370 miles) and is centered at 11.9 degrees north latitude and 157.6 degrees west longitude. North is to the top, and the Sun illuminates the surface from the right. The color image was created by combining a black and white image taken on February 22, 2000 at a distance of 18,800 kilometers (11,700 miles) from Io with lower-resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.81 miles per picture element) color images taken on July 3, 1999 at a distance of 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles). The image is centered at 11.6 degrees north latitude and 157.7 degrees west longitude. North is to the top and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
|
Terrain near Io
…
Volcanic calder
…
4/19/00
| Date |
4/19/00 |
| Description |
Volcanic calderas, lava flows and cliffs are seen in this false color image of a region near the south pole of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io. It was created by combining a black and white image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on February 22, 2000 with lower resolution color images taken by Galileo on July 3, 1999. The three black spots (top center and middle left) are small volcanic calderas about 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles) in size, which are dark because their floors are covered by recent lava flows. Two of these three calderas are surrounded by diffuse dark material, which may have been thrown out of the calderas by explosive eruptions. The bright, white material is thought to be sulfur-dioxide frost and is concentrated near the cliffs in this image. It may be formed when liquid sulfur dioxide seeps out at the base of mountain scarps, vaporizes into a plume of gas, liquid and solid, and then condenses again on the surface. Part of this process, called sapping, occurs in arid environments on Earth when ground water seeps out at the bases of cliffs. The vaporization and production of plumes is much more dramatic on Io due to the lower gravitational acceleration and especially the very low atmospheric pressure. It may be one of the dominant erosion processes on Io. The mountain at the center left, named Telegonus Mensae, exhibits a number of ridges parallel to its margins. These ridges have been observed on a number of other Ionian mountains and they suggest that as the mountain ages, it is collapsing outward under the influence of gravity. The yellow lava flow at the southern end of the image appears to be fed by a dark channel that connects to a dark caldera. This is a likely candidate for a lava flow composed of sulfur (rather than silicate material). The image is centered at 53.8 degrees south latitude and 117.1 degrees west longitude and north is to the top. The higher resolution image has a resolution of 350 meters (or yards) per picture element and is illuminated from the upper left. It was taken at a range of 34,000 kilometers (21,000 miles). The color images have resolutions of 1.3 kilometers (0.81 miles) per picture element and are illuminated from almost directly behind the spacecraft. They were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard camera. 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
|
Ganymede dark t
…
Impact craters
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
Impact craters dominate the surface down to the smallest features visible on the dark terrain of the Nicholson Regio region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. It is the highest resolution view ever obtained of Ganymede's dark terrain. Both the regional-scale image at the bottom and high- resolution image at the top were taken by Galileo during its May 20, 2000, flyby of Ganymede. The latter are the highest resolution images ever obtained of Ganymede's dark terrain, which makes up about one third of Ganymede's surface. Impact cratering is clearly the dominant mechanism of surface modification in this relatively ancient terrain, which is analogous to the cratered highlands of Earth's Moon. Small- scale craters seem to mimic larger-scale craters, as is apparent in the similarities between the high and medium resolution scenes. The bright spots are probably fresh ice-rich ejecta excavated by the most recent impact events. North is to the top of the images and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The medium-resolution image, centered at –15 degrees latitude and 337 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 237 by 130 kilometers (147 by 81 miles) at a resolution of 125 meters (410 feet) per picture element. The high-resolution image is at 28 meters (92 feet) per picture element. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The images were produced by Arizona State University, Tempe, and Brown University, Providence, R.I.. Their websites are at http://europa.la.asu.edu/index.html and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
|
Bright-dark bou
…
These images, t
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
These images, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on its May 20, 2000, flyby of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, illustrate the boundary and different elevations between the dark, ancient terrain of Nicholson Regio (left) and bright, younger terrain of Harpagia Sulcus (right.) The bottom image is a wide view of the boundary, and the top image is an enlargement of the colorized strip. An important goal of Galileo's Ganymede encounter was to understand the nature of the boundary between ancient, dark terrain and younger, bright terrain. The camera was aimed at the boundary to obtain both very high-resolution images (top) and medium-resolution context images (bottom). Color-coded elevations are indicated relative to the average elevation of the sampled area, with high elevation marked in red, and low in blue. Combining the two image mosaics allows scientists to derive a detailed description of the region from the overlap. The data shows that there are approximately 200 meters (about 650 feet) of topographic relief within the bright terrain here, and a deep depression marks the boundary between bright and dark terrains. North is to the top of the pictures. The Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The larger image, centered at –14 degrees latitude and 319 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 213 by 97 kilometers (132 by 60 miles.) The resolution of the high-resolution image is 20 meters (about 65 feet) per picture element, and the context image is at 121 meters (397 feet) per picture element. The higher resolution image was taken at a range of 2000 kilometers (over 1,200 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . The images were produced by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ , and Brown University, http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
Not-so-smooth b
…
The highest-res
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
The highest-resolution images ever obtained of Jupiter's moon Ganymede show that even smooth-looking terrain has been deformed at a fine scale. The high-resolution image taken of the bright Harpagia Sulcus area by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during a May 20, 2000, flyby of Ganymede shows features as small as 16 meters (52 feet). This area was selected for a closer look because, in images taken by NASA's Voyager spacecraft about 20 years earlier, it looked as flat as a hockey rink. It appears smooth even in a medium-resolution Galileo image (at 116 meters or 380 feet per pixel) that is superimposed over a Voyager image in the top portion of this frame. But the closeup shot revealed that, instead of a hockey rink, the area has ups and downs that would be challenging for a cross-country skier. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The medium-resolution image mosaic is centered at -16 degrees latitude and 310 degrees longitude, and covers an area approximately 282 by 144 kilometers (175 by 89 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
|
Mosaic and Topo
…
Images taken wi
…
2/26/01
| Date |
2/26/01 |
| Description |
Images taken with different lighting and from different positions by NASA's Galileo spacecraft provide information about the three-dimensional structure of a large mountain named Tohil Mons on Jupiter's moon Io. One of these images is a mosaic combining detailed images that were taken by Galileo on Feb. 22, 2000, with a lower- resolution image of a wider area taken on June 30, 1999. The sharper portion has a resolution of 165 meters (540) feet per picture element. The lower-resolution context image is at 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) per picture element. North is to the top of the image. The Sun was almost directly behind the spacecraft, so shadows are negligible. The other image (inset lower left corner) is a topographic representation of what Tohil Mons looks like when seen from the northeast. The topography has been vertically exaggerated. The peak's height is about 6 kilometers, plus or minus 2 kilometers (about 20,000 feet, give or take 6,600 feet). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
Stereo Image of
…
This stereo ima
…
2/26/01
| Date |
2/26/01 |
| Description |
This stereo image, which appears three-dimensional when viewed through stereo red-blue glasses, was created from data in images taken on Oct. 11, 1999, and on Feb. 22, 2000, by NASA's Galileo spacecraft of a mountain named Tohil Mons on Jupiter's moon Io. It illustrates the shape of the mountain and two nearby volcanic depressions, which are called paterae. North is toward the top of the image. The largest patera, in the upper right, lies along the northeastern margin of the mountain. The stereo observation reveals that the smaller patera with the dark floor is surrounded by mountainous walls. The black lines are areas where data were not acquired. Information about the red-blue glasses needed for seeing this 3-D image properly is available at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/Help/VendorList.html#Glasses . To the southeast of the peak, many bright lines trending northwest-southeast can be seen. Since the two individual images were taken when the sun was quite high, it was difficult to determine the relationship between the bright material and the topography. The stereo image reveals that the light material is concentrated at the bases of cliffs. This series of cliffs appears step-like, which may indicate layering in Io's crust. By combining several observations in this manner, Galileo scientists are able to study Io's mountains and to learn about their evolution and their relationship to Io's volcanoes. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
Lunar Beauty Sh
…
| Title |
Lunar Beauty Shot |
| Abstract |
This is a beauty shot animation flying over the surface of the moon created in support of a series of live interviews about the 2004 lunar eclipse. Scales are not accurate in this visualization. The Earth is about 3 times larger than it would actually appear. The source of the moon texture is unknown, it is thought to be a composite from several missions. The Earth texture was captured as the Galileo spacecraft swung by the Earth in 1990 for a gravity assist on its way to Jupiter. |
| Completed |
2004-11-01 |
|
Operation Galil
…
The Operation G
…
1/1/96
| Description |
The Operation Galileo education program took off with the first of four flights on board a U.S. Air Force C-130 transport aircraft from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. Teachers from Mississippi and Louisiana participated in the program which aims to enhance math and science education of high-risk students by allowing junior high and middle school teachers, students and parents to fly in cargo and tanker aircraft during routine training missions. The Air Force Reserve created Operation Galileo, which was implemented by NASA's Educator Resource Center at Stennis. |
| Date |
1/1/96 |
|
Asgard Multi-Ri
…
PIA01634
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Asgard Multi-Ring Structure on Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This mosaic shows the Asgard multi-ring structure on Callisto, Jupiter's second largest icy moon. The Asgard structure [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00517 ], centered near 30 degrees north latitude, 142 degrees west longitude, is approximately 1700 km across (1,056 miles) and consists of a bright central zone surrounded by discontinuous rings. The rings are fractures that formed when Callisto's surface was struck by a large comet or asteroid. Previous analysis of Asgard identified three major zones: 1) interior bright plains in the center, 2) a zone of inward facing cliffs and, 3) a zone of discontinuous concentric troughs. The mosaic combines high resolution data of 88 meters per picture element (pixel) taken on the tenth orbit of the Galileo spacecraft around Jupiter in September 1997, with low resolution data of 1.1 kilometers (km) per pixel obtained on the third orbit in November 1996. The improved resolution of images obtained by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on board NASA's Galileo spacecraft allows for new insights into the Asgard multi-ring system. Galileo images show that the bright central plains includes a young dome crater, named Doh, located on its southwestern margin (at the top of the high resolution strip). Doh is about 50 km (30 miles) in diameter. Dome craters contain a central mound instead of a bowl shaped depression or the central mountain typically seen in craters. The inner rings of Asgard appear to be degraded ridges in the high resolution data, rather than inward-facing cliffs or scarps as previously interpreted from lower resolution images. In the outermost rings, dark non-ice material that slid down the walls of the troughs has made their floors darker than the surrounding cratered plains. North is to the top of the picture. The high resolution images were obtained with the clear filter of the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system when NASA's Galileo spacecraft was less than 9,500 kilometers from Callisto. There appears to be a diffuse darker stripe, beginning near the middle and continuing down the strip of higher resolution frames. This darkening is due to the processing used to place the higher resolution frames into the background context. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission or NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Potential Sourc
…
PIA03887
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Potential Source of Sulfur Flow on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A field of bright lava flows next to a shield volcano could be a source of recent sulfur volcanism on Io, as detected by instruments aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The mosaic at left combines higher-resolution images (330 meters or about 1080 feet per picture element) taken in October 2001 with lower-resolution color images (1.4 kilometers or 0.9 mile per picture element) taken in July 1999 by Galileo's solid-state imaging camera. By comparing these images with a map of hot spots taken in February by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer (lower right), Galileo scientists noted that a new hot spot west of the active volcano Prometheus became bright in February 2000 and dimmed later. This hot spot appears to correspond with the bright flow field just west of a recently discovered shield volcano (see PIA03532 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03532 ]), which is the only fresh volcanic material in the area. The relatively low intensity of the February 2000 hot spot in the infrared data suggests a low-temperature eruption, consistent with sulfur lava rather than silicate lava as found elsewhere on Io and also on Earth. Sulfur lavas are thought to cool to a gray-yellow color on Io, as seen in the new flow field visible in the camera image. This bright flow field could be the best example of active sulfur lava flows deposited on Io during the Galileo mission. At upper right is a global view of Io showing the location of the more-detailed images. The low temperature of this hot spot differs from many of Io's other active volcanoes, such as Pele, Tvashtar and Prometheus. Intense tidal flexing of Io helps keep the moon's interior molten, at some places producing silicate lavas hotter than any seen on Earth in billions of years. Io has the greatest known diversity of volcanic activity in the solar system. North is to the top of all these images. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Pedestal crater
…
PIA01660
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Pedestal craters Gula and Achelous on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows a Galileo high-resolution mosaic of craters Gula (top), about 40 km (25 miles) in diameter, and Achelous (bottom), about 35 km (21.8 miles) in diameter, projected on a lower-resolution background of image data that were obtained in the late 70s by the NASA Voyager spacecraft. The two Galileo frames used for the mosaic of Gula and Achelous were taken under low sun elevation in April 1997 during Galileo's 7th orbit around Jupiter with the Solid State Imaging (SSI) camera system onboard this NASA spacecraft that has been orbiting Jupiter since December 1995. The images were taken from a distance of about 17,500 km from Ganymede. The pixel resolution is about 180 m/pixel - the smallest features that are still discernible are about 360 m across. The sun illuminates the scene from the right. North is pointing towards the top of the Galileo mosaic. Both craters are situated between 60 and 65 degrees northern latitude at about 12.5 degrees western longitude. A characteristic feature of both craters, almost identical in size, is the "pedestal" - an outward-facing, relatively gently sloped scarp that terminates the continuous ejecta blanket. Similar features may be seen in ejecta blankets of Martian craters, suggesting impacts into a volatile (ice)-rich target material. Furthermore, both craters appear crisp and feature terraces. Gula has a prominent central peak, Achelous instead may show the remnant of a collapsed central peak or a central pit that is not fully formed. On lower-resolution images taken under higher sun illumination angle, both craters are shown to have extended bright rays, especially Achelous, which demonstrates that these two craters are younger than the respective surrounding landscape. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Clouds and Haze
…
PIA02098
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Clouds and Hazes of Jupiter's Southern Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The clouds and hazes of Jupiter's southern hemisphere, in the region between 25 degrees south latitude and the pole, are shown in approximately true color (left mosaic) and in false color (right mosaic). The false color is used to reveal the heights and thicknesses of Jupiter's clouds. The images were taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The clouds visible in these mosaics are being folded and sheared by Jupiter's winds, like cream in a cup of coffee. The upper part of the mosaics sports a pair of vortices, one rotating clockwise (left) and one rotating counterclockwise (right). Each is about 3500 kilometers (2170 miles) in their north-south dimension. North is toward the top of the mosaics. The bright spots near the top edge may be places where new cloud material is forming, perhaps analogous to huge convective storms on Earth, complete with lightning. Near Jupiter's pole, the cloud features become increasingly obscured by a "polar cap" of high-altitude haze thought to form from the chemical byproducts of auroral activity. The left mosaic combines violet (410 nanometers) and near-infrared (756 nanometers) images to create a mosaic similar to how Jupiter would appear to human eyes. The different colors are due to the composition and abundance of trace chemicals in Jupiter's atmosphere. The right mosaic uses Galileo's camera's three near-infrared (beyond the visible range) wavelengths (756 nanometers, 727 nanometers, and 889 nanometers) displayed in red, green, and blue) to show variations in cloud height and thickness. Light blue clouds are high and thin, reddish clouds are deep, and white clouds are high and thick. Galileo's camera is the first to distinguish cloud heights on Jupiter. The mosaics are projected on a spheroid. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. The images used were taken on May 7, 1997, at a range of 1.2 million kilometers (746,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its eighth orbit of Jupiter. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Galileo's Last
…
PIA03529
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo's Last View of Tvashtar, Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This mosaic of Tvashtar Catena on Jupiter's moon Io, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Oct. 16, 2001, completes a series of views depicting changes in the region over a period of nearly two years. A catena is a chain of volcanic craters. Streaks of light and dark deposits that radiate from the central volcanic crater, or "patera," are remnants of a tall plume that was seen erupting in earlier images. This image and the others from November 1999, February 2000 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02584 ], December 2000 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02588 ], and August 2001 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02592 ] were all taken to study aspects of this ever-changing, extremely active volcanic field. Tvashtar is pictured here just 10 months after both the Galileo and Cassini spacecraft observed the eruption of a giant plume of volcanic gas emanating from it. The plume rose 385 kilometers (239 miles) high and blanketed terrain as far as 700 kilometers (435 miles) from its center. Tvashtar has erupted in a variety of styles over the course of almost two years: (1) a lava curtain [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02519 ] 50 kilometers (30 miles) long in the center patera, (2) a giant lava flow or lava lake eruption [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02550 ] in the giant patera at far left, and (3) the large plume eruption [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02588 ]. Therefore Galileo scientists expected that the lava flow margins or patera boundaries within Tvashtar would have changed drastically. However, the series of observations revealed little modification of this sort, suggesting that the intense eruptions at Tvashtar are confined by the local topography. North is to the top of the mosaic, which is approximately 300 kilometers(186 miles) across and has a resolution of 200 meters (656 feet) per picture element. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educationalcontext for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Closeups of Io
…
PIA02319
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Closeups of Io (false color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io on July 3, 1999 during its closest pass by Io since it entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera, processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red areas near the active volcanic centers. The improved resolution reveals small-scale color areas which were not recognized previously and which suggest that the lava and sulfurous deposits are composed of complex mixtures (close-up A). Some of the bright, whitish, high-latitude (near the top and bottom) deposits have an ethereal quality like a transparent covering of frost (close-up B). Bright red areas were seen in previous images only as diffuse deposits. However, they now appear as both diffuse deposits and sharp linear features like fissures (close-up C). Some volcanic centers have bright and colorful flows, perhaps due to flows of sulfur (rather than silicate) lava (close-up D). In this region of Io, bright, white material can also be seen to emanate from linear rifts and cliffs. Comparison of this mosaic to previous Galileo images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/io/color.html ] reveals many changes due to ongoing volcanic activity. Galileo is scheduled to make two close passes of Io in October and November. Most of the high-resolution targets for these flybys are seen on the hemisphere shown here. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topographic shading can be seen here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and rugged topography over parts of Io. The mosaic is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitude and 137.5 degrees west longitude. The images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard solid state imaging camera. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Galileo Takes a
…
PIA02568
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo Takes a Close-up Look at Prometheus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This high-resolution mosaic of images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft shows lava flows, bright streaks, and ridged plains at the northern margin of the lava flow field at the volcanic center Prometheus on Jupiter's moon Io. The images, taken during a flyby of Io on February 22, 2000, have a resolution of 12 meters(39 feet) per picture element. The lava is erupting from a fissure about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east(right) of the edge of this mosaic, and the 100 kilometer (62 mile) tall Prometheus plume is erupting from somewhere near the western end of this mosaic. This mosaic was acquired to search for and image the plume vent or vents. We expected to see a small crater surrounded by radial streaks, but no such central vent can be seen in these or other images. Instead, we see bright streaks along the margins of the lava. The darkest areas are warm lava flows. Warm lava is dark because it is either too hot or too recent for significant amounts of sulfur-dioxide frost or snow from the plume to have condensed onto it. The blow-up shows two bright dots where hot lava is breaking out of the edge of one of the dark lava flows. The bright, ridged plains to the north of the lava are probably rich in sulfur dioxide. The formation mechanism for the ridges is unclear. The very bright streaks radiating from the area where the lava flows overrun the field are where the hot lava recently vaporized the sulfur dioxide, which then coated the lava-facing sides of the ridges. The Prometheus plume has been seen by both the Voyager and Galileo spacecraft whenever the viewing geometry has been favorable. While the morphology of the plume has been nearly constant, the plume's position jumped about 80 kilometers (50 miles) between the Voyager observations in the 1970s and the Galileo observations since 1995. The lava flow field has migrated a similar distance. Galileo scientists are currently investigating whether fresh lava breakouts overrunning plains rich in sulfur dioxide can help explain the plume observations. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Arbela Sulcus f
…
PIA02583
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Arbela Sulcus flyover movie |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A simulated flyover of an area on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, based on images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, takes the viewer over rugged, ancient terrain that is interrupted by a bright icy swath of more recent surfacing. The dark, rugged terrain in the foreground at the start is part of Nicholson Regio. Parts of the dark terrain are heavily cratered, testifying to their ancient age, but other parts have been deformed into deep grooves by stretching and faulting. A swath called Arbela Sulcus slices through the rough terrain and appears as a dramatically different type of surface, brighter and smoother, between two parts of Nicholson Regio. High-resolution images of Arbela Sulcus obtained by Galileo suggest it may be the result of crustal spreading, similar to a process evident on the surface of Europa, another of Jupiter's moons. The simulated fly-over in Quicktime format was constructed by combining images obtained during the seventh and 28th orbits of Jupiter by Galileo, on May 7, 1997, and May 20, 2000. Stereo images were used to derive the topography of the area, then regional-scale and high-resolution images from the more recent orbit were draped over the topographic model. The flyover region is centered near -14 degrees latitude and 347degrees longitude. The resolution of the image data is 35 and 130 meters(114 and 426 feet) per picture element, and the vertical exaggeration is three times. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found athttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ [ http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ ] andhttp://www.planetary.brown.edu/ [ http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ ]. |
|
Io's Tvashtar A
…
PIA02594
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Io's Tvashtar Area in Infrared: Multiple Lava Flows |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
New and older lava flows clustered in the Tvashtar region of Jupiter's moon Io appear as hot spots in a temperature map from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The multiple hot spots indicate continuing shifts in the location of Tvashtar's eruptions since the region's volcanic activity was first seen in December 1999. The temperature map (top) uses infrared observations made during Galileo's Aug. 6, 2001, flyby of Io. It is shown using landmarks from a February 2000 visible-light image (bottom) that Galileo's camera recorded of the Tvashtar area of bowl-like depressions in Io's northern hemisphere. The temperature map comes from Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer. Tvashtar has been a very active region since December 1999, when Galileo detected a major eruption from the location marked A (See insert image below). The eruption from A was interpreted as a row of lava fountains. When Galileo flew by Io again in February 2000, the eruption had shifted to the location marked B, where a lava flow shaped like a dolphin's tail is seen. The temperature map shows that volcanic activity is present at many locations in this region. The highest temperatures are found in the three locations marked x, where new lavas may have recently come to the surface. Temperatures (in Kelvin) displayed in the color bar are lower limits. (The range in Fahrenheit is from 460 degrees below zero to 530 degrees above zero.) Each picture element averages the characteristics of an area about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across, smaller patches may be hundreds of degrees higher. The Galileo camera did not obtain a visible-light image of the Tvashtar region during the August 2001 flyby. Based on the locations of the hottest materials detected by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer, volcanologists expect that significant surface changes have occurred.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the spacecraft and its discoveries is available on the Galileo home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Io's Tvashtar A
…
PIA02594
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Io's Tvashtar Area in Infrared: Multiple Lava Flows |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
New and older lava flows clustered in the Tvashtar region of Jupiter's moon Io appear as hot spots in a temperature map from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The multiple hot spots indicate continuing shifts in the location of Tvashtar's eruptions since the region's volcanic activity was first seen in December 1999. The temperature map (top) uses infrared observations made during Galileo's Aug. 6, 2001, flyby of Io. It is shown using landmarks from a February 2000 visible-light image (bottom) that Galileo's camera recorded of the Tvashtar area of bowl-like depressions in Io's northern hemisphere. The temperature map comes from Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer. Tvashtar has been a very active region since December 1999, when Galileo detected a major eruption from the location marked A (See insert image below). The eruption from A was interpreted as a row of lava fountains. When Galileo flew by Io again in February 2000, the eruption had shifted to the location marked B, where a lava flow shaped like a dolphin's tail is seen. The temperature map shows that volcanic activity is present at many locations in this region. The highest temperatures are found in the three locations marked x, where new lavas may have recently come to the surface. Temperatures (in Kelvin) displayed in the color bar are lower limits. (The range in Fahrenheit is from 460 degrees below zero to 530 degrees above zero.) Each picture element averages the characteristics of an area about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across, smaller patches may be hundreds of degrees higher. The Galileo camera did not obtain a visible-light image of the Tvashtar region during the August 2001 flyby. Based on the locations of the hottest materials detected by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer, volcanologists expect that significant surface changes have occurred.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the spacecraft and its discoveries is available on the Galileo home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Io's Pele Glowi
…
PIA02596
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io's Pele Glowing in the Dark |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
In a high-resolution view from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, the Pele hot spot on Jupiter's moon Io shows a complex pattern of areas glowing in the dark, including areas likely to be fresh overturning of a lava lake's crust. Hundreds of hot spots have been observed on Io, the most volcanic world in the solar system. Most previous observations have been at very low resolution. This false-color nighttime image of the Pele hot spot, acquired during Galileo's close flyby of Io in October 2001, reveals details down to 60 meters (200 feet) in length. Red indicates the most intense combination of temperature and area, blue indicates cooler materials or smaller patches of hot materials. Scientists believe the Pele hot spot has a lava lake inside a volcanic crater or caldera. The series of bright spots seen here may correspond to the edge of the caldera, where cooled crust of the lava lake is breaking up against the wall and hotter lava appears from underneath. (That pattern is seen in a lava lake in Hawaii). Alternatively, they could be fractures in the crust. Galileo acquired similar observations [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02511 ] in October 1999 and February 2000, but the newest images are the first to show the larger bright areas seen on the right side of the image. These probably correspond to regions of vigorous overturning of the crust. Galileo acquired several nighttime images of Pele in October 2001. These may enable measurements of temperature and perhaps detection of short-term changes in the exposures of hot lava. Preliminary calculations indicate the lava temperature is about 1,400 degrees Kelvin (2,060 degrees Fahrenheit) at one location, which would be similar to the temperatures of lava erupted at Kilauea in Hawaii. North is the top of the picture. The image is centered at 18.7 degrees south latitude and 255.5 degrees west longitude. Galileo's camera took it from a distance of about 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) away. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Caldera-like de
…
PIA02580
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Caldera-like depression on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The shallow, scalloped depression in the center of this picture from NASA's Galileo spacecraft is a caldera-like feature 5 to 20 kilometers(3 to 12 miles) wide on Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. Calderas are surface depressions formed by collapse above a subsurface concentration of molten material. Some shallow depressions in bright, smooth areas of Ganymede have some overall similarities to calderas on Earth and on Jupiter's moon Io. On Ganymede, caldera-like depressions may serve as sources of bright, volcanic flows of liquid water and slush, an idea supported by a Ganymede photo obtained by Galileo during its seventh orbit and available at PIA01614 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01614 ]. In the more recent image here, from Galileo's 28th orbit, a tall scarp marks the western boundary of a caldera-like feature. The western scarp is aligned similarly to older tectonic grooves visible in the image, suggesting the feature has collapsed along older lines of weakness. The interior is mottled in appearance, yet smooth compared to most of Ganymede's bright terrain seen at high resolution. The eastern boundary of the caldera-like feature is cut by younger, grooved terrain. Small impact craters pepper the scene, but the lack of a raised rim argues against an impact origin for the caldera-like feature itself. Instead, water-rich icy lava may have once flowed out of it toward the east. If so, later tectonism could have erased any telltale evidence of volcanic flow fronts. Direct evidence for icy volcanism on Ganymede continues to be elusive. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The image, centered at -24 degrees latitude and 318degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 162 by 119 kilometers(101 by 74 miles). The resolution is 43 meters (141 feet) per picture element. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by Brown University, Providence, R.I.,http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ [ http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ ]. |
|
Northern Plume
…
PIA02592
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Northern Plume and Plume Deposits on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Backlit views (left pair) show a giant volcanic plume as a bulge on the crescent edge of Jupiter's moon Io, and more fully lit views (right pair) reveal rings where sulfur-rich plume material has fallen back to the ground, in images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in early August 2001. Io is the most volcanically active world known. Galileo and NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have caught several of Io's volcanoes in action lofting plumes of gas and particles high above the large moon's surface. However, none of the plumes seen previously has climbed as high as the one evidenced in three of these pictures. During its Aug. 6, 2001, close encounter with Io, Galileo flew right through a space where a plume from the Tvashtar volcano near Io's north pole had been active when Galileo and Saturn-bound Cassini imaged Io seven months earlier. To see if the Tvashtar plume was still active in August, scientists used Galileo's camera to acquire images when the spacecraft was nearly on the opposite side of Io from the Sun, so that Io appears as a backlit crescent. Tvashtar's plume did not show up, but another one did, rising from a previously undiscovered and still unnamed volcano about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tvashtar. The left two images are color coded to reveal the faint outer plume. The bright inner plume rises about 150 kilometers (90 miles) high, and the top of the faint outer plume can be detected at 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the surface, making this is the largest plume ever detected on Io. A portion of the plume with intermediate brightness extends north of the eruption's source vent. (The vertical lines, bright spots and short streaks in these two images are noise.) One of the more fully illuminated color images of Io (second image from right) reveals a bull's-eye ring of new dark and light materials marking the eruption site. No obvious volcanic center had previously been seen at this location, 41 degrees north latitude and 133 degrees west longitude. The bright material of the new plume deposit overlies the red-ring plume deposit encircling the Tvashtar volcano at 63 degrees north, 123 degrees west. Tvashtar's ring deposit was first seen in Galileo images taken in late December 2000. Another new full-disc color image of Io (far right) reveals yet another new plume deposit near Io's north pole, encircling the Dazhbog Patera volcanic site. This red ring has a diameter of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), suggesting a plume height of about 300 kilometers (190 miles). This plume deposit was not present in January 2001, so it is evidence of a new eruption. Io is about the same size as Earth's Moon. All four images have resolutions of 18 to 20 kilometers (11 to 12 miles) per picture element. Unlabeled versions are also available. Click on the thumbnail versions below., Infrared imagery from Galileo or Earth-based telescopes has detected intense hot spots at the sites of all three of these giant plumes. Giant polar plumes represent a class of eruption seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, but not during Galileo's first five years of orbiting Jupiter. Voyager was unable to measure temperatures or other properties of these eruptions, so scientists are pleased Galileo has survived long enough to do so. Galileo reached Jupiter in late 1995. Its original two-year orbital mission has been extended three times to take advantage of the spacecraft's continuing capability to return valuable scientific information about the Jupiter system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Northern Plume
…
PIA02592
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Northern Plume and Plume Deposits on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Backlit views (left pair) show a giant volcanic plume as a bulge on the crescent edge of Jupiter's moon Io, and more fully lit views (right pair) reveal rings where sulfur-rich plume material has fallen back to the ground, in images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in early August 2001. Io is the most volcanically active world known. Galileo and NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have caught several of Io's volcanoes in action lofting plumes of gas and particles high above the large moon's surface. However, none of the plumes seen previously has climbed as high as the one evidenced in three of these pictures. During its Aug. 6, 2001, close encounter with Io, Galileo flew right through a space where a plume from the Tvashtar volcano near Io's north pole had been active when Galileo and Saturn-bound Cassini imaged Io seven months earlier. To see if the Tvashtar plume was still active in August, scientists used Galileo's camera to acquire images when the spacecraft was nearly on the opposite side of Io from the Sun, so that Io appears as a backlit crescent. Tvashtar's plume did not show up, but another one did, rising from a previously undiscovered and still unnamed volcano about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tvashtar. The left two images are color coded to reveal the faint outer plume. The bright inner plume rises about 150 kilometers (90 miles) high, and the top of the faint outer plume can be detected at 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the surface, making this is the largest plume ever detected on Io. A portion of the plume with intermediate brightness extends north of the eruption's source vent. (The vertical lines, bright spots and short streaks in these two images are noise.) One of the more fully illuminated color images of Io (second image from right) reveals a bull's-eye ring of new dark and light materials marking the eruption site. No obvious volcanic center had previously been seen at this location, 41 degrees north latitude and 133 degrees west longitude. The bright material of the new plume deposit overlies the red-ring plume deposit encircling the Tvashtar volcano at 63 degrees north, 123 degrees west. Tvashtar's ring deposit was first seen in Galileo images taken in late December 2000. Another new full-disc color image of Io (far right) reveals yet another new plume deposit near Io's north pole, encircling the Dazhbog Patera volcanic site. This red ring has a diameter of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), suggesting a plume height of about 300 kilometers (190 miles). This plume deposit was not present in January 2001, so it is evidence of a new eruption. Io is about the same size as Earth's Moon. All four images have resolutions of 18 to 20 kilometers (11 to 12 miles) per picture element. Unlabeled versions are also available. Click on the thumbnail versions below., Infrared imagery from Galileo or Earth-based telescopes has detected intense hot spots at the sites of all three of these giant plumes. Giant polar plumes represent a class of eruption seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, but not during Galileo's first five years of orbiting Jupiter. Voyager was unable to measure temperatures or other properties of these eruptions, so scientists are pleased Galileo has survived long enough to do so. Galileo reached Jupiter in late 1995. Its original two-year orbital mission has been extended three times to take advantage of the spacecraft's continuing capability to return valuable scientific information about the Jupiter system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Northern Plume
…
PIA02592
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Northern Plume and Plume Deposits on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Backlit views (left pair) show a giant volcanic plume as a bulge on the crescent edge of Jupiter's moon Io, and more fully lit views (right pair) reveal rings where sulfur-rich plume material has fallen back to the ground, in images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in early August 2001. Io is the most volcanically active world known. Galileo and NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have caught several of Io's volcanoes in action lofting plumes of gas and particles high above the large moon's surface. However, none of the plumes seen previously has climbed as high as the one evidenced in three of these pictures. During its Aug. 6, 2001, close encounter with Io, Galileo flew right through a space where a plume from the Tvashtar volcano near Io's north pole had been active when Galileo and Saturn-bound Cassini imaged Io seven months earlier. To see if the Tvashtar plume was still active in August, scientists used Galileo's camera to acquire images when the spacecraft was nearly on the opposite side of Io from the Sun, so that Io appears as a backlit crescent. Tvashtar's plume did not show up, but another one did, rising from a previously undiscovered and still unnamed volcano about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tvashtar. The left two images are color coded to reveal the faint outer plume. The bright inner plume rises about 150 kilometers (90 miles) high, and the top of the faint outer plume can be detected at 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the surface, making this is the largest plume ever detected on Io. A portion of the plume with intermediate brightness extends north of the eruption's source vent. (The vertical lines, bright spots and short streaks in these two images are noise.) One of the more fully illuminated color images of Io (second image from right) reveals a bull's-eye ring of new dark and light materials marking the eruption site. No obvious volcanic center had previously been seen at this location, 41 degrees north latitude and 133 degrees west longitude. The bright material of the new plume deposit overlies the red-ring plume deposit encircling the Tvashtar volcano at 63 degrees north, 123 degrees west. Tvashtar's ring deposit was first seen in Galileo images taken in late December 2000. Another new full-disc color image of Io (far right) reveals yet another new plume deposit near Io's north pole, encircling the Dazhbog Patera volcanic site. This red ring has a diameter of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), suggesting a plume height of about 300 kilometers (190 miles). This plume deposit was not present in January 2001, so it is evidence of a new eruption. Io is about the same size as Earth's Moon. All four images have resolutions of 18 to 20 kilometers (11 to 12 miles) per picture element. Unlabeled versions are also available. Click on the thumbnail versions below., Infrared imagery from Galileo or Earth-based telescopes has detected intense hot spots at the sites of all three of these giant plumes. Giant polar plumes represent a class of eruption seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, but not during Galileo's first five years of orbiting Jupiter. Voyager was unable to measure temperatures or other properties of these eruptions, so scientists are pleased Galileo has survived long enough to do so. Galileo reached Jupiter in late 1995. Its original two-year orbital mission has been extended three times to take advantage of the spacecraft's continuing capability to return valuable scientific information about the Jupiter system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Northern Plume
…
PIA02592
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Northern Plume and Plume Deposits on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Backlit views (left pair) show a giant volcanic plume as a bulge on the crescent edge of Jupiter's moon Io, and more fully lit views (right pair) reveal rings where sulfur-rich plume material has fallen back to the ground, in images captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in early August 2001. Io is the most volcanically active world known. Galileo and NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have caught several of Io's volcanoes in action lofting plumes of gas and particles high above the large moon's surface. However, none of the plumes seen previously has climbed as high as the one evidenced in three of these pictures. During its Aug. 6, 2001, close encounter with Io, Galileo flew right through a space where a plume from the Tvashtar volcano near Io's north pole had been active when Galileo and Saturn-bound Cassini imaged Io seven months earlier. To see if the Tvashtar plume was still active in August, scientists used Galileo's camera to acquire images when the spacecraft was nearly on the opposite side of Io from the Sun, so that Io appears as a backlit crescent. Tvashtar's plume did not show up, but another one did, rising from a previously undiscovered and still unnamed volcano about 600 kilometers (370 miles) south of Tvashtar. The left two images are color coded to reveal the faint outer plume. The bright inner plume rises about 150 kilometers (90 miles) high, and the top of the faint outer plume can be detected at 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the surface, making this is the largest plume ever detected on Io. A portion of the plume with intermediate brightness extends north of the eruption's source vent. (The vertical lines, bright spots and short streaks in these two images are noise.) One of the more fully illuminated color images of Io (second image from right) reveals a bull's-eye ring of new dark and light materials marking the eruption site. No obvious volcanic center had previously been seen at this location, 41 degrees north latitude and 133 degrees west longitude. The bright material of the new plume deposit overlies the red-ring plume deposit encircling the Tvashtar volcano at 63 degrees north, 123 degrees west. Tvashtar's ring deposit was first seen in Galileo images taken in late December 2000. Another new full-disc color image of Io (far right) reveals yet another new plume deposit near Io's north pole, encircling the Dazhbog Patera volcanic site. This red ring has a diameter of about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles), suggesting a plume height of about 300 kilometers (190 miles). This plume deposit was not present in January 2001, so it is evidence of a new eruption. Io is about the same size as Earth's Moon. All four images have resolutions of 18 to 20 kilometers (11 to 12 miles) per picture element. Unlabeled versions are also available. Click on the thumbnail versions below., Infrared imagery from Galileo or Earth-based telescopes has detected intense hot spots at the sites of all three of these giant plumes. Giant polar plumes represent a class of eruption seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, but not during Galileo's first five years of orbiting Jupiter. Voyager was unable to measure temperatures or other properties of these eruptions, so scientists are pleased Galileo has survived long enough to do so. Galileo reached Jupiter in late 1995. Its original two-year orbital mission has been extended three times to take advantage of the spacecraft's continuing capability to return valuable scientific information about the Jupiter system. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Ridges on Europ
…
This is the hig
…
1/17/97
| Date |
1/17/97 |
| Description |
This is the highest resolution picture ever taken of the Jupiter moon, Europa. The area shown is about 5.9 by 9.9 miles (9.6 by 16 kilometers) and the smallest visible feature is about the size of a football field. In this view, the ice-rich surface has been broken into a complex pattern by cross-cutting ridges and grooves resulting from tectonic processes. Sinuous rille- like features and knobby terrain could result from surface modifications of unknown origins. Small craters of possible impact origin range in size from less than 330 feet (100 meters) to about 1300 feet (400 meters) across are visible. This image was taken by the solid state imaging television camera aboard the Galileo during its fourth orbit around Jupiter, at adistance of 2060 miles (3340 kilometers). The picture is centered at 325 degrees West, 5.83 degrees North. North is toward the top of this image, with the sun shining from the right. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL ##### |
|
Sulfuric Acid o
…
Frozen sulfuric
…
9/1/99
| Date |
9/1/99 |
| Description |
Frozen sulfuric acid on Jupiter's moon Europa is depicted in this image produced from data gathered by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The brightest areas, where the yellow is most intense, represent regions of high frozen sulfuric acid concentration. Sulfuric acid is found in battery acid and in Earth's acid rain. This image is based on data gathered by Galileo's near infrared mapping spectrometer. Europa's leading hemisphere is toward the bottom right, and there are enhanced concentrations of sulfuric acid in the trailing side of Europa (the upper left side of the image). This is the face of Europa that is struck by sulfur ions coming from Jupiter's innermost moon, Io. The long, narrow features that crisscross Europa also show sulfuric acid that may be from sulfurous material extruded in cracks. Galileo, launched in 1989, has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons since December 1995. JPL 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. ##### |
|
Europa Ice Raft
…
This high resol
…
4/9/97
| Date |
4/9/97 |
| Description |
This high resolution image shows the ice-rich crust of Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. Seen here are crustal plates ranging up to 13 kilometers (8 miles) across, which have been broken apart and "rafted" into new positions, superficially resembling the disruption of pack-ice on polar seas during spring thaws on Earth. The size and geometry of these features suggest that motion was enabled by ice-crusted water or soft ice close to the surface at the time of disruption. The area shown is about 34 kilometers by 42 kilometers (21 miles by 26 miles), centered at 9.4 degrees north latitude, 274 degrees west longitude, and the resolution is 54 meters (59 yards). This picture was taken by the Solid State Imaging system on board the Galileo spacecraft on February 20, 1997, from a distance of 5,340 kilometers (3,320 miles) during the spacecraft's close flyby of Europa. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. ##### |
|
Galileo at Jupi
…
This artist's r
…
7/11/95
| Date |
7/11/95 |
| Description |
This artist's rendering shows the Galileo orbiter arriving at Jupiter on Dec. 7, 1995. A few hours before arrival, the orbiter will have flown within about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) of Jupiter's moon lo, shown as the crescent to the left of the spacecraft. The sun is visible between Io and the spacecraft, near the spacecraft's long magnetometer. Jupiter is to the right. A faint white streak above the planet's clouds shows the atmospheric probe beginning to decelerate before it deploys a parachute for its scientific mission to collect data as it descends into the atmosphere and relay that data to the orbiter. About an hour after the probe's mission is over, the orbiter will brake with its rocket engine to go into orbit around Jupiter for a two-year, 11-orbit study of Jupiter, its satellites and its magnetosphere. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Galileo probe is managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field. Calif. |
|
Global Callisto
…
PIA03456
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global Callisto in Color |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Bright scars on a darker surface testify to a long history of impacts on Jupiter's moon Callisto in this image of Callisto from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The picture, taken in May 2001, is the only complete global color image of Callisto obtained by Galileo, which has been orbiting Jupiter since December 1995. Of Jupiter's four largest moons, Callisto orbits farthest from the giant planet. Callisto's surface is uniformly cratered but is not uniform in color or brightness. Scientists believe the brighter areas are mainly ice and the darker areas are highly eroded, ice-poor material. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the spacecraft and its discoveries is available on the Galileo home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Lumps Within Ga
…
PIA05077
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Lumps Within Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists have discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Jupiter?s largest moon, Ganymede. These irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede?s icy shell for billions of years. This mosaic of Jupiter?s moon Ganymede consists of more than 100 images acquired with NASA?s Voyager and Galileo spacecrafts. The gravity anomalies or lumps inferred from the Galileo radio Doppler data are shown in red. The mosaic shows the surface of Ganymede with its geographic coordinate system and the Galileo gravity results superimposed. The trajectory path of Galileo?s second Ganymede flyby on September 6, 1996, is shown in green. There are no obvious geologic features associated with the anomalies. For images and information about the Galileo mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
|
Ganymede - Anci
…
PIA00279
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede - Ancient Impact Craters in Galileo Regio |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Ancient impact craters shown in this image of Jupiter's moon Ganymede taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft testify to the great age of the terrain, dating back several billion years. At the margin at the left, half of a 19-kilometer-diameter (12-mile) crater is visible. The dark and bright lines running from lower right to upper left and from top to bottom are deep furrows in the ancient crust of dirty water ice. The origin of the dark material is unknown, but it may be accumulated dark fragments from many meteorites that hit Ganymede. In this view, north is to the top, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left about 58 degrees above the horizon. The area shown is part of Ganymede's Galileo Regio region at latitude 18 degrees north, longitude 147 degrees west, it is about 46 by 64 kilometers (29 by 38 miles) in extent. Resolution is about 80 meters (262 feet) per pixel. The image was taken June 27 at a range of 7.563 kilometers (4,700 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
|
Culann Patera/N
…
PIA02544
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Culann Patera/NIMS |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Culann Patera volcano on Jupiter's moon Io was observed by the near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its Io flyby on November 25, 1999. The instrument obtained spectral data over part of Culann. The spectra were made into a map of the relative amounts of sulfur dioxide frost, superimposed on an image taken by Galileo's camera in July 1999. In the map, white represents more sulfur dioxide. The image is about 340 kilometers (210 miles) across. The red deposits around Culann and many other volcanoes on Io are thought to be short-chain sulfur molecules (S3 and S4). The spectrometer data shows that the red deposits coincide with enhanced concentrations of sulfur dioxide frost. This is interpreted as being caused by a plume that produced both sulfur and sulfur dioxide, depositing both materials in the same locations. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
STS-34 Galileo
…
| Title |
STS-34 Galileo processing at KSC's SAEF-2 planetary spacecraft facility |
| Description |
At the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Spacecraft and Assembly Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2), the planetary spacecraft checkout facility, clean-suited technicians examine the Galileo spacecraft. The entire Galileo assembly includes a 5870-pound spacecraft, and an inertial upper stage (IUS) booster. Galileo is scheduled for launch aboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, on Space Shuttle Mission STS-34 in October 1989. After an initial boost from the IUS, Galileo will require a triple gravity assist from Venus and Earth to reach Jupiter in 1995. This complex trajectory will allow the first close flyby of two asteroids. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter ten times, yielding the first extended observations of the planet, its satellites, and intense magnetospheric environment. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the Galileo project. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-89P-570. |
| Date Taken |
1989-07-18 |
|
Galileo Probe D
…
| title |
Galileo Probe Descent |
| date |
12.07.1995 |
| description |
An artist's impression of the Galileo probe descending into Jupiter's atmosphere. The probe wasthe first to sample the atmosphere of a gas planet. It measured temperature, pressure, chemical composition, cloud characteristics, sunlight and energy internal to the planet, and lightning. During its 58-minute life, the probe penetrated 200 km (124 miles) into Jupiter's violent atmosphere before it was crushed, melted, and/or vaporized by the pressure and temperature of the atmosphere. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Galileo's Europ
…
| Title |
Galileo's Europa |
| Explanation |
Launched in 1989 and looping through the jovian system since late 1995, the voyage of NASA's Galileo spacecraft [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/mission_end.html ] will soon come to an end. The spacecraft has been targeted to plunge [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/news/release/ press030917.html ] directly into Jupiter this Sunday [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/ ], September 21st, at about 30 miles per second. Its components will be vaporized in the gas giant's outer atmosphere. While Galileo's long voyage of exploration has resulted in a spectacular scientific legacy [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/topTen01.html ], the spacecraft's ultimate fate is related to perhaps its most tantalizing discovery [ http://whyfiles.org/060moons/europa.html ] -- strong evidence for a liquid ocean [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/news8.html ] beneath the frozen surface of Jupiter's moon Europa [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/moons/europa.html ]. Galileo is now almost completely out of fuel for maneuvers, so this intentional collision with Jupiter will prevent any unintentional future collision with Europa and the possibility of contaminating the jovian moon with microbes from Earth hardy enough to survive [ http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ ast01sep98_1.htm ] in interplanetary space. Color image data [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02590 ] from the Galileo mission recorded between 1995 and 1998 was used to create this depiction of Europa's cracked and icy surface. The inset [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02099 ] shows dark reddish, disrupted regions dubbed Thera and Thrace. |
|
Thunderheads on
…
PIA00506
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Thunderheads on Jupiter |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists have spotted what appear to be thunderheads on Jupiter bright white cumulus clouds similar to those that bring thunderstorms on Earth - at the outer edges of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft now in orbit around Jupiter are providing new evidence that thunderstorms may be an important source of energy for Jupiter's winds that blow at more than 500 kilometers per hour (about 300 miles per hour). The photos were taken by Galileo's solid state imager camera on June 26, 1996 at a range of about 1.4 million kilometers (about 860,000 miles). The image at top is a mosaic of multiple images taken through near-infrared filters. False coloring in the image reveals cloud-top heights. High, thick clouds are white and high, thin clouds are pink. Low-altitude clouds are blue. The two black-and-white images at bottom are enlargements of the boxed area, the one on the right was taken 70 minutes after the image on the left. The arrows show where clouds have formed or dissipated in the short time between the images. The smallest clouds are tens of kilometers across. On Earth, moist convection in thunderstorms is a pathway through which solar energy, deposited at the surface, is transported and delivered to the atmosphere. Scientists at the California Institute of Technology analyzing data from Galileo believe that water, the most likely candidate for what composes these clouds on Jupiter, may be more abundant at the site seen here than at the Galileo Probe entry site, which was found to be unexpectedly dry. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. . This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galileo's Best
…
PIA03530
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo's Best View of Loki Volcano on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Light from the setting Sun falls across the Loki volcanic region on Jupiter's moon Io in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Oct. 16, 2001. The image was taken to examine the relative depths and heights of features in the region. The Sun illuminates the surface from the right. Galileo's camera caught the large volcanic crater, or "patera" of Loki near the boundary between night and day. The image also shows several smaller craters plus shadows cast by the high peaks of several mountains. Shadows cast by the low sun should reveal any topography associated with Loki, such as a plateau in the center of the patera or high patera walls. The near absence of shadows in this region surprised Galileo scientists, as they had expected much more pronounced topography near Loki. Another surprising aspect of this image is that features that have been black in previous Voyager [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00375 ] and Galileo [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02588 ] images of Loki, such as the dark lava flows inside the patera, are here brighter than their surroundings. The best explanation is that the shiny, glassy surfaces of chilled lava flows look extremely dark when the Sun is directly overhead, but they reflect the Sun's light comparatively well when it shines at a low angle, in a similar manner to the reflective surfaces of bodies of water. Other volcanic paterae in this image show the same unusual reflectance as seen at Loki. Some of them are being viewed at such an angle that these reflections from lava flows are the brightest features in the image. This image tells us that lava flows on Io chill quickly and form glassy surfaces, not unlike recently cooled lava flows in Hawaii. The image has a resolution of 1.1 kilometers (0.7 miles) per picture element. North is to the top of the picture. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Color Global Mo
…
PIA00585
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Color Global Mosaic of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This false color infrared composite of Jupiter's moon Io was produced from images acquired in July and September, 1996, during the first two orbits through the Jovian system by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The area shown is 11,420 kilometers in width. Grid lines in this cylindrical map projection are superimposed at latitude and longitude intervals of 30 degrees. Deposits of sulfur dioxide frost appear in white and grey hues while yellowish and brownish hues are probably due to other sulfurous materials. Bright red materials (such as the prominent ring surrounding the currently erupting plume Pele) and spots with low brightness or albedo ("black" spots) mark areas of recent volcanic activity and are usually associated with high temperatures and surface changes (Voyager to Galileo or Galileo to Galileo). The color map will be compared to other observations, such as maps of topography and hot spots, to better understand the volcanic and surface processes on this dynamic satellite. The color in the image is composed of data taken in the near-infrared (756 nanometer), green and violet filters (shown as red, green, and blue respectively) of the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Images were obtained at resolutions ranging from 10 to 23 kilometers per picture element (pixel) and phase angles (spacecraft-Io-sun angle) from 4 to 55 degrees. The spacecraft range varied from 485,000 to 2,243,000 kilometers. North is to the top of the picture. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Color Mosaic an
…
PIA01081
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Color Mosaic and Active Volcanic Plumes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This color image, acquired during Galileo's ninth orbit (C9) around Jupiter, shows two volcanic plumes on Io. One plume was captured on the bright limb or edge of the moon, erupting over a caldera (volcanic depression) named Pillan Patera. The plume seen by Galileo is 140 kilometers (86 miles) high, and was also detected by the Hubble Space Telescope. The Galileo spacecraft will pass almost directly over Pillan Patera in 1999 at a range of only 600 (373 miles). The second plume, seen near the terminator, the boundary between day and night, is called Prometheus after the Greek fire god). The shadow of the airborne plume can be seen extending to the right of the eruption vent. (The vent is near the center of the bright and dark rings). Plumes on Io have a blue color, so the plume shadow is reddish. The Prometheus plume can be seen in every Galileo image with the appropriate geometry, as well as every such Voyager image acquired in 1979. It is possible that this plume has been continuously active for more than 18 years. In contrast, a plume has never been seen at Pillan Patera prior to the recent Galileo and HST images.Color images from orbit C9 have been merged with a high resolution mosaic of images acquired in various orbits to enhance the surface detail. PIA00703 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00703 ] is another version of this image which also includes detailed insets of the plumes. North is to the top of the picture. The resolution is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) per picture element. This composite uses images taken with the green, violet, and near-infrared filters of the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The C9 images were obtained on June 28, 1997 at a range of more than 600,000 kilometers (372, 000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Close-up of Zam
…
PIA02504
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Close-up of Zamama, Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A volcano named Zamama on Jupiter's moon Io has recently changed in appearance as seen in this pair of images of Io acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it approached Io in preparation for a close flyby. The false color images use the near-infrared, green and violet filters (a range greater than the range the human eye can see) of the spacecraft's camera, processed to slightly enhance Io's naturally vibrant colors. The image on the left was acquired in March 1998 during Galileo's 14th orbit and the image on the right was collected in July 1999 during the 21st orbit. The July 1999 images are the highest resolution images of Io taken by Galileo since it entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995.Zamama formed [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01071 ], during the time period between the flybys of NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979 and Galileo's first images of Io taken in 1996. Based on these images, Galileo scientists suspect that the dark lava is erupting from a crack in the ground. Analysis of combined data from Galileo's camera and its near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument showed that the lava erupting at Zamama must be hotter than 830 C (1,500 F). Because this too hot to be sulfur, scientists believe the lava may contain silicates. The most dramatic difference between these two images is that the volcanic plume that was active in March 1998 and earlier had stopped erupting by July 1999. The rising core of the umbrella-shaped plume can be seen in the 1998 image as a bluish spot in the center of the dark lava. Dark and bright spokes of material falling away from the core are also visible. When it falls back to the ground, this material makes circular white and yellow deposits around the vent. The white deposits are thought to be composed mostly of sulfur dioxide that left the volcanic vent as a vapor and condensed into a frost as the gases expanded into the near-vacuum of Io's atmosphere. Interestingly, red plume material has only been deposited to the northwest. This might be the result of small pockets of boiling sulfur that produce droplets of red sulfur blown outward by the main plume. Most of the other, more subtle color variations around Zamama are likely to be the result of different lighting conditions that existed when the two images were taken. A high-resolution (20 to 40 meters or 66 to 130 feet per picture element) strip of images across Zamama is planned during Galileo's flyby of Io on October 10, 1999. These images will be useful in determining how lava moves on Io's surface, specifically whether the lava travels in open rivers of lava or in well-insulated lava tubes. The size and shape of features on the lava flows can be used to estimate properties of the lava that will provide vital clues to the still unanswered question about what kind of lava is erupting from Io's volcanoes. North is to the top of the pictures. The images are centered at 17.4 degrees north latitude and 173 degrees west longitude. The image on the left was taken on March 1998 at a range of 294,000 kilometers (183,000 miles) and has a resolution of 3 kilometers (2 miles) per picture element. The Sun illuminates the surface from the right. The image on the right was taken in July 1999 at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) and has a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element. The Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. 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 World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission, home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Close-up of Zam
…
PIA02504
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Close-up of Zamama, Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A volcano named Zamama on Jupiter's moon Io has recently changed in appearance as seen in this pair of images of Io acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it approached Io in preparation for a close flyby. The false color images use the near-infrared, green and violet filters (a range greater than the range the human eye can see) of the spacecraft's camera, processed to slightly enhance Io's naturally vibrant colors. The image on the left was acquired in March 1998 during Galileo's 14th orbit and the image on the right was collected in July 1999 during the 21st orbit. The July 1999 images are the highest resolution images of Io taken by Galileo since it entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995.Zamama formed [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01071 ], during the time period between the flybys of NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979 and Galileo's first images of Io taken in 1996. Based on these images, Galileo scientists suspect that the dark lava is erupting from a crack in the ground. Analysis of combined data from Galileo's camera and its near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument showed that the lava erupting at Zamama must be hotter than 830 C (1,500 F). Because this too hot to be sulfur, scientists believe the lava may contain silicates. The most dramatic difference between these two images is that the volcanic plume that was active in March 1998 and earlier had stopped erupting by July 1999. The rising core of the umbrella-shaped plume can be seen in the 1998 image as a bluish spot in the center of the dark lava. Dark and bright spokes of material falling away from the core are also visible. When it falls back to the ground, this material makes circular white and yellow deposits around the vent. The white deposits are thought to be composed mostly of sulfur dioxide that left the volcanic vent as a vapor and condensed into a frost as the gases expanded into the near-vacuum of Io's atmosphere. Interestingly, red plume material has only been deposited to the northwest. This might be the result of small pockets of boiling sulfur that produce droplets of red sulfur blown outward by the main plume. Most of the other, more subtle color variations around Zamama are likely to be the result of different lighting conditions that existed when the two images were taken. A high-resolution (20 to 40 meters or 66 to 130 feet per picture element) strip of images across Zamama is planned during Galileo's flyby of Io on October 10, 1999. These images will be useful in determining how lava moves on Io's surface, specifically whether the lava travels in open rivers of lava or in well-insulated lava tubes. The size and shape of features on the lava flows can be used to estimate properties of the lava that will provide vital clues to the still unanswered question about what kind of lava is erupting from Io's volcanoes. North is to the top of the pictures. The images are centered at 17.4 degrees north latitude and 173 degrees west longitude. The image on the left was taken on March 1998 at a range of 294,000 kilometers (183,000 miles) and has a resolution of 3 kilometers (2 miles) per picture element. The Sun illuminates the surface from the right. The image on the right was taken in July 1999 at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) and has a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element. The Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. 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 World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission, home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Highest Resolut
…
PIA02507
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Highest Resolution Image Ever Obtained of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on this image for a full resolution context image (in tiff format) that corresponds to the caption below. Click here for a jpeg format image. The highest resolution image ever of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, (the black and white image at top), was taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on October 10, 1999, from an altitude of 617 kilometers (417 miles). It shows an area about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) long and 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles)wide. Features as small as 9 meters (30 feet) can be discerned, providing a resolution which is 50 times better the previous best, taken by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. The box drawn in the center image, a Galileo image of Io taken earlier in the mission, shows the area displayed in the new image at top. The three color images below show the volcanic region from a much higher altitude than the other images and follow a volcanic eruption observed by Galileo earlier in mission This new image targeted lava flows that erupted from the volcano Pillan. A complex mix of smooth and rough areas can be seen with clusters of pits and domes, many of which are the size of houses. The volcanic features are similar to those found on Earth and Mars. However, this combination of different types of lava flows has not been seen before in such a small area, demonstrating the variety of volcanic processes that continue to change the surface of Io. North is to the top of the pictures and the Sun illuminates the surface from the right. In the top and middle images the Sun is only a few degrees above the horizon, emphasizing topography. Galileo scientists estimate that the cliff on the left side of the image ranges from 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet) high. In 1997 Galileo caught Pillan in the process of erupting. The explosion blanketed an area 400 kilometers (250 miles) in diameter with ash as seen in the series of three color images at the bottom. These images show the changes that have occurred at Pillan over the last three years (previous release) [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02501 ]. Pillan is the new dark spot in middle color frame and the big, red ring seen in all three images is formed by the plume from the nearby volcano Pele. Galileo's camera and near-infrared mapping spectrometer measured the temperatures of the lavas during the eruption and found that they were hotter than any known eruption on Earth in the last two billion years. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Highest Resolut
…
PIA02507
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Highest Resolution Image Ever Obtained of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Click on this image for a full resolution context image (in tiff format) that corresponds to the caption below. Click here for a jpeg format image. The highest resolution image ever of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io, (the black and white image at top), was taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on October 10, 1999, from an altitude of 617 kilometers (417 miles). It shows an area about 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) long and 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles)wide. Features as small as 9 meters (30 feet) can be discerned, providing a resolution which is 50 times better the previous best, taken by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. The box drawn in the center image, a Galileo image of Io taken earlier in the mission, shows the area displayed in the new image at top. The three color images below show the volcanic region from a much higher altitude than the other images and follow a volcanic eruption observed by Galileo earlier in mission This new image targeted lava flows that erupted from the volcano Pillan. A complex mix of smooth and rough areas can be seen with clusters of pits and domes, many of which are the size of houses. The volcanic features are similar to those found on Earth and Mars. However, this combination of different types of lava flows has not been seen before in such a small area, demonstrating the variety of volcanic processes that continue to change the surface of Io. North is to the top of the pictures and the Sun illuminates the surface from the right. In the top and middle images the Sun is only a few degrees above the horizon, emphasizing topography. Galileo scientists estimate that the cliff on the left side of the image ranges from 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet) high. In 1997 Galileo caught Pillan in the process of erupting. The explosion blanketed an area 400 kilometers (250 miles) in diameter with ash as seen in the series of three color images at the bottom. These images show the changes that have occurred at Pillan over the last three years (previous release) [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02501 ]. Pillan is the new dark spot in middle color frame and the big, red ring seen in all three images is formed by the plume from the nearby volcano Pele. Galileo's camera and near-infrared mapping spectrometer measured the temperatures of the lavas during the eruption and found that they were hotter than any known eruption on Earth in the last two billion years. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Amirani's Big L
…
These images fr
…
2/26/01
| Date |
2/26/01 |
| Description |
These images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft show changes in the largest active field lava flows in the solar system, the Amirani lava flow on Jupiter's moon Io. Scientists have identified 23 distinct new flows by comparing the two images taken 134 days apart, on Oct. 11, 1999, and Feb. 22, 2000. The Amirani lava-flow field spans more than 300 kilometers (190 miles). Individual flows within it are each several kilometers or miles long, which is about the size of the entire active eruption on Kilauea, Hawaii. In total, the new lava flows at Amirani covered about 620 square kilometers (240 square miles) of Io in less than five months. By comparison, Kilauea covered only about 10 square kilometers (4 square miles) in the same time. Amirani is huge even when compared to other Ionian lava flows: The Prometheus lava flow field covered only about 60 square kilometers (24 square miles) during this time. Galileo scientists are studying Amirani to understand how such large lava flows are created. The last eruption this size on Earth happened about 15 million years ago along the Columbia River in what is now the state of Washington. Many scientists thought that such long lava flows were formed in violent volcanic outbursts. However, the eruption observed at Amirani is relatively calm, despite the fact that over 100 tons of lava are disgorged every second. Galileo's observations of Io indicate that huge, ancient lava flows on the Earth, such as the Columbia River flood basalts, could also have formed in relatively tranquil eruptions. The color image on the left is a composite of black-and- white images collected on Feb. 22, 2000, at a resolution of 210 meters (690 feet) per picture element, and color images collected on June 30, 1999, at 1.3 kilometers (0.8 mile) per picture element. The white boxes and arrows show the locations of the areas analyzed in detail on the right. The left-hand pair of black-and-white images, labeled I24, are parts of a mosaic collected on Oct. 11, 1999, at 500 meters (550 yards) per picture element. The center pair of images, labeled I27, shows what the same areas looked like on Feb. 22, 2000. These later images are about twice as sharp as the earlier images, making some features that did not change appear crisper. In order to demonstrate the real changes, the I27 images were divided by the I24 images, producing the pair of ratio images on the right. The new dark lava that erupted between October 1999 and February 2000 has been highlighted in red. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. # # # # # |
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Jupiter's Main
…
The top and bot
…
9/15/98
| Date |
9/15/98 |
| Description |
The top and bottom panels show a mosaic of images of Jupiter's rings taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Jupiter is to the right of this mosaic, and different brightness scales accent different parts of the ring system. Jupiter's ring system has three parts -- a flat main ring, a halo inside the main ring shaped like a double-convex lens, and the gossamer ring outside the main ring. In the top view, a faint mist of particles is seen above and below the main rings. This vertically extended "halo" is unusual in planetary rings, and is caused by electromagnetic forces pushing the smallest grains, which carry electric charges, out of the ring plane. Jupiter's main ring is a thin sheet of material encircling the planet. The near and far arms of this ring extend horizontally across the mosaic, joining together at the ring's ansa, the portion visible on the sides of Jupiter, on the figure's far left side. In the bottom view, some radial structure is visible across the ring's ansa. The diffuse innermost boundary begins at approximately 122,500 kilometers (about 76,100 miles). The main ring's outer radius is at about 128,940 kilometers (80,120 miles), very close to the orbit of the Jovian moon Adrastea (128,980 kilometers or 80,140 miles). The brightness of the main ring drops markedly at about 127,850 kilometers (79,440 miles), very near the orbit of another moon, Metis, at 127,978 kilometers (79,521 miles). Jupiter's four small satellites-Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea and Thebe, affect the structure of the huge planet's tenuous rings. These images were taken through the clear filter of Galileo's onboard solid state imaging camera system on November 9, 1996. The resolution is approximately 24 kilometers (14 miles) per picture element along Jupiter's rings. Because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened vertically. The images were obtained when Galileo was in Jupiter's shadow, peering back toward the Sun, when the ring was approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) away. The view of Earth's moon in the explanatory graphics was created from images returned by the Clementine lunar orbiter, launched in 1994 by NASA and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.) JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The images are posted on the Internet at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ and at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . ##### 9/9/98 JP |
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Europa: Sea Sal
…
This composite
…
4/19/00
| Date |
4/19/00 |
| Description |
This composite image of the Jupiter-facing hemisphere of Europa was obtained on November 25, 1999 by two instruments onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The global black-and-white view, by the spacecraft's camera, provides the highest resolution view ever obtained of this side of Europa. The superimposed false-color image, obtained by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument, reveals the presence of materials with differing compositions on Europa's surface. In this image, blue areas represent the cleanest, brightest icy surfaces, while the reddest areas have the highest concentrations of darker, non-ice materials. The mixture of colors seen here is most likely the result of both variations in the ages and composition of surface materials. The dark materials are believed to fade with the passage of time. This area is highly unusual compared to many other areas on Europa because of its high concentration of fresh-appearing bright ridges and fractures. On other parts of Europa, the darker areas appear to be the most recently formed, but here the ridges and fractures appear to "overprint" the underlying darker mottled terrain. Scientists disagree about the chemical makeup of the dark materials, both sulfuric acid (common battery acid) and salty minerals, perhaps from a subsurface ocean, have been suggested. Analysis of images like this one may help to resolve this controversy. Surprisingly, either material could help to produce conditions below the surface that could be favorable to the formation of living organisms. The colored area is centered near the intersection of the equator and the Europan "prime meridian," where the longitude is assigned the value of 0 degrees. This is the sub-Jupiter point, where Jupiter always appears to be almost directly overhead. This phenomenon occurs because Europa takes the same period of time to rotate as it does to orbit around Jupiter (3.55 days). The area imaged in color is about 400 by 400 kilometers (250 by 250 miles), an area of about 160,000 square kilometers (about 62,000 square miles). 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.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
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Rifting at Hi'i
…
NASA's Galileo
…
5/18/00
| Date |
5/18/00 |
| Description |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft acquired the images in this mosaic of Hi'iaka Patera (the irregularly shaped, dark depression at the center of the image) and two nearby mountains on November 25, 1999 during its 25th orbit. The sharp peak at the top of the image is about 11 kilometers (about 36,300 feet) high, and the two elongated plateaus to the west and south of the caldera are both about 3.5 kilometers (11,500 feet) high. The ridges on the northwestern mountain are often seen on Ionian mountains and are thought to be formed as surface material slides downslope due to gravity. At low resolution, many of the dark features, called pateras, appear to be calderas -- depressions formed by collapse into an empty magma chamber. However, higher resolution images such as this one suggest a different origin. In the case of Hi'iaka, the northern and southern margins of the pateras have very similar shapes which appear to fit together. This may indicate that the crust has been pulled apart here and the resulting depression has subsequently been covered by dark lava flows. Furthermore, the two mountains bordering Hi'iaka Patera also appear to fit together. However, the similar shapes and heights of the pateras' margins and mountains could be coincidental. Galileo scientists are currently investigating whether mountains and pateras are related to each other and what could cause the surface of Io to rift apart in such a manner. North is to the top of the mosaic and the sun is illuminating the surface from the left. The resolution is 260 meters (about 280 yards) per picture element. Galileo took the images at a distance of 26,000 kilometers (16,000 miles) from Io. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
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Eruption at Tva
…
NASA's Galileo
…
5/18/00
| Date |
5/18/00 |
| Description |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft caught this volcanic eruption in action on Jupiter's moon Io on November 25, 1999. This mosaic shows Tvashtar Catena, a chain of calderas, in enhanced color. It combines low resolution (1.3 kilometers, or .8 miles, per picture element) color images of Io taken on July 3, 1999 with the much higher resolution (180 meters, or 197 yards, per picture element) black and white images taken in November. The molten lava was hot enough, and therefore bright enough, to saturate, or overexpose, Galileo's camera (original image is inset in lower right corner). The bright lava curtain (a chain of lava fountains) and surface flows shown in the color image were assembled as an interpretive drawing by Galileo scientists, based on their knowledge of how the camera behaves when saturated. The lava appears to be producing fountains to heights of up to 1.5 kilometers (5,000 feet) above the surface. Several other lava flows can be seen on the floors of the calderas. The darkest flows are probably the most recent. The elongated caldera in the center of the image is almost surrounded by a mesa that is about 1 kilometer (.6 miles) high. In places the mesa's margins are scalloped, which is typical of an erosional process called sapping. This occurs when fluid escapes from the base of a cliff, causing the material above it to collapse. On Earth, sapping is caused by springs of groundwater. Similar features on Mars are one of the key pieces of evidence that water flowed on Mars' surface in the past. On Io, the fluid is believed to be sulfur dioxide, which should vaporize almost instantaneously when it reaches the near vacuum at Io's surface, blasting away material at the base of the cliffs. North is to the top of the image and the Sun illuminates the surface from the lower left. The high resolution black and white image was taken at a distance of 17,000 kilometers (11,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
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Stereo Images o
…
This stereo ima
…
5/31/00
| Date |
5/31/00 |
| Description |
This stereo image illustrates the topography of the Tvashtar Catena region on Jupiter's moon Io. It was created by combining two different views of Tvashtar taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 25, 1999 (shown in red) and February 22, 2000 (shown in blue). A raised plateau surrounds the volcanic depression, or caldera, in the center of the image. To the northeast of the main caldera, the plateau's inner and outer margins are scalloped, which may indicate that a process called sapping is eroding them. Sapping occurs when fluid escapes from the base of a cliff, causing the material above it to collapse. Smaller calderas have formed in the floor of the main caldera. This nesting of calderas is also observed on Earth, at Kilauea in Hawaii. (The two bright red regions toward the upper left of this image, which are roughly triangular in shape, are the areas where the earlier image was overexposed by the brightness of hot lava fountains). Galileo scientists are in the process of generating topographic maps from these images. Such maps will reveal the heights and slopes of different landforms in this region, which will help scientists determine the strength and other properties, of Io's surface materials. They will also be useful in understanding the processes of uplift and erosion on Io. The picture is centered at 59 degrees north latitude and 121 degrees west longitude. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the lower left. The observations used to make the stereo image were made at ranges of 18,000 and 34,500 kilometers (11,400 and 21,600 miles) from Io. The resolution of the stereo image is about 320 meters (350 yards) 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html . ##### |
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Colorized View
…
This image show
…
5/31/00
| Date |
5/31/00 |
| Description |
This image shows one of many intriguing mountains on Jupiter's moon Io. The image was made by combining a recent high- resolution, black and white image with earlier low-resolution color data to provide a high-resolution, color view. NASA's Galileo spacecraft took both images. The 240-kilometer (150-mile) long mountain in the image is south of the volcanic hot spot named Zal. The black and white version of this image was useful for showing the shape of the mountain and the small fans of debris piled against the base of its tall, steep cliffs. However, when colorized the relationship between different types of materials becomes apparent. For example, the bright, red material is believed to contain a compound of sulfur that forms when sulfur is boiled at a high temperature. Active eruptions of molten rock (lava) are the most likely source for the heat. Thus we see red sulfur where lava reaches the surface. Other sulfur compounds cover the yellow areas, and the black areas are fresh silicate lava that has not yet been coated by the yellow sulfurous materials. The green patches are still somewhat mysterious, they appear to form when red sulfur lands on warm lava and the two react in a manner that is still unknown. In this image, it is clear that the red material has blown out of a long crack along the western side of the mountain. Lava has flowed from this crack and filled a depression (caldera). Some of the red sulfur close to the dark caldera appears to have been converted into green material. The fact that lava comes up along the faults that define the sides of the mountains provides important clues to how the mountains form and the state of the interior of Io. Scientists at the University of Arizona speculate that the formation of the mountains on Io may be related to plumes of hot material rising inside the fiery body of Io. North is to the top and the setting sun is shining from the west. The image is centered at about 33 degrees north, 72 degrees west. The high-resolution image was taken on February 22, 2000 by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The image was taken by the Galileo's onboard camera from a range of 33,500 kilometers (20,800 miles) and has a resolution of 335 meters (1,100 feet) per picture element. The color images were taken on July 3, 1999. They have resolutions of 1.3 kilometers (0.81 miles) per picture element and are illuminated from almost directly behind the spacecraft. They were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) from Io. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/io/ioimages.html. ##### |
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Region of Ganym
…
The area of Nic
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
The area of Nicholson Regio and Arbela Sulcus illustrates many of the diverse terrain types on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, as seen in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The bright terrain of Arbela Sulcus is the youngest terrain here, slicing north-south across the image. It is finely striated, and relatively lightly cratered. To the east (right) is the oldest terrain in this area, rolling and relatively densely cratered Nicholson Regio. To the west (left) is a region of highly deformed grooved terrain, intermediate in relative age. In this area of grooved terrain, stretching and normal faulting of Nicholson Regio has deformed it beyond recognition. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The image, centered at -15 degrees latitude and 347 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 89 by 26 kilometers (55 by 16 miles). The resolution is 34 meters (112 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 3,350 kilometers (2,082 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
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Regional view o
…
This view of th
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
This view of the Nicholson Regio/Arbela Sulcus region on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, shows the stark contrast between the smooth bright terrain and the surrounding highly fractured dark terrain. This observation was designed in part to distinguish between different models for how Arbela Sulcus and other groove lanes on Ganymede were formed. The volcanic model suggests that a relatively clean, water-rich lava filled a tectonic depression, then cooled to create a smooth surface. Tectonic models suggest that focused faulting and deformation of older dark terrain destroyed the pre-existing texture, which was brightened by exposure of underlying, clean ice. Analysis of these photos suggests a third and unexpected possibility: Arbela Sulcus may be similar to some bands on another of Jupiter's moons, Europa, formed by tectonic crustal spreading and renewal. North is to the upper left of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The image, centered at – 14 degrees latitude and 347 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 258 by 116 kilometers (160 by 72 miles). The resolution is 133 meters (436 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 13,100 kilometers (8,140 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
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Ganymede featur
…
This frame comp
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
This frame compares a high-resolution view of Arbela Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede (top) with the gray band Thynia Linea on another Jovian moon, Europa (bottom), shown to the same scale. Both images are from NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Arbela Sulcus is one of the smoothest lanes of bright terrain identified on Ganymede, but subtle striations are apparent here along its length. This section of Arbela contrasts markedly from highly fractured terrain to its west and dark terrain to its east. On Europa, gray bands such as Thynia Linea have formed by tectonic crustal spreading and renewal. Such bands have sliced through and completely separated pre-existing features in the surrounding bright, ridged plains. The younger prominent double ridge Delphi Flexus cuts across Thynia Linea. The scarcity of craters on Europa attests to the relative youth of its surface compared to Ganymede's. Unusual for Ganymede, it is possible that Arbela Sulcus has formed by complete separation of Ganymede's icy crust, like bands on Europa. Tests of this idea come from detailed comparisons of their internal shapes and the relationships to the surrounding structures. In the Ganymede image, north is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The image, centered at -15 degrees latitude and 347 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 34 by 26 kilometers (21 by 16 miles). The resolution is 34 meters (112 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 3,370 kilometers (2,094 miles). In the Europa image, north is to the upper-right of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the northwest. The image, centered at -66 degrees latitude and 161 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 44 by 46 kilometers (27 by 29 miles). The resolution is 45 meters (147 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 26, 1998, at a range of 3,817 kilometers (2,371 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
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Comparison of G
…
This image, tak
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
This image, taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, shows a same-scale comparison between Arbela Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede (left) and an unnamed band on another Jovian moon, Europa (right). Arbela Sulcus is one of the smoothest lanes of bright terrain identified on Ganymede, and shows very subtle striations along its length. Arbela contrasts markedly from the surrounding heavily cratered dark terrain. On Europa, dark bands have formed by tectonic crustal spreading and renewal. Bands have sliced through and completely separated pre-existing features in the surrounding bright ridged plains. The scarcity of craters on Europa illustrates the relative youth of its surface compared to Ganymede's. Unusual for Ganymede, it is possible that Arbela Sulcus has formed by complete separation of Ganymede's icy crust, like bands on Europa. Prominent fractures on either side of Arbela appear to have been offset by about 65 kilometers (about 40 miles) along the length of the area of furrows and ridges, suggesting that strike-slip faulting was important in the formation of Arbela Sulcus. In the Ganymede image, north is to the upper left of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The image, centered at -14 degrees latitude and 347 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 258 by 116 kilometers (160 by 72 miles.) The resolution is 133 meters (436 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 13,100 kilometers (8,100 miles). In the Europa image, north is to the left of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the east. The image, centered at -7 degrees latitude and 236 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 275 by 424 kilometers (171 by 263 miles.) The resolution is 220 meters (about 720 feet) per picture element (re-sampled here to 133 meters, or 436 feet). The images were taken on Nov. 6, 1997, at a range of 21,500 kilometers (13,360 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . Images were produced by Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://www.planetary.brown.edu/, DLR (German Aerospace Center) Berlin, http://solarsystem.dlr.de , and University of Arizona, Tempe, http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/. # # # # # |
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Perspective vie
…
This view of Ar
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
This view of Arbela Sulcus, a 24-kilometer-wide (15-mile- wide) region of furrows and ridges on Jupiter's moon Ganymede, shows its relationship to the dark terrain surrounding it. NASA's Galileo spacecraft took these pictures during its May 20, 2000, flyby of Ganymede. Arbela Sulcus lies overall slightly lower than the dark terrain of Nicholson Regio, a 3,700 kilometers (3,300 mile) area in the southern hemisphere. However, along the eastern margin (bottom), a portion of the dark terrain (probably an ancient degraded impact crater) lies even lower than Arbela Sulcus. Scientists did not find bright icy material on Arbela Sulcus, indicating that this ridgy area was not created by watery volcanic activity. Instead, they found fine striations covering the surface, along with a series of broader highs and lows that resemble piano keys. This suggests that the movement of underlying tectonic plates deformed the surface. Combining images from two observations taken from different viewing perspectives provides stereo topographic information, giving valuable clues as to the geologic history of a region. North is to the right of the image. The Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The image, centered at –15 degrees latitude and 347 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 89 by 26 kilometers (55 by 16 miles). The image resolution is 70 meters (230 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 3,350 kilometers (2,100 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . The images were produced by German Aerospace Center (DLR), http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
Bright-Dark ter
…
The ancient, da
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
The ancient, dark terrain of Nicholson Regio (left) shows many large impact craters, and zones of fractures oriented generally parallel to the boundary between the dark and bright regions of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. In contrast, the bright terrain of Harpagia Sulcus (right) is less cratered and relatively smooth. The nature of the boundary between ancient, dark terrain and younger, bright terrain, the two principal terrain types on Ganymede, was explored by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on May 20, 2000. Subtle parallel ridges and grooves show that Harpagia Sulcus's land has been smoothed out over the years by tectonic processes. North is to the top of the picture. The Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The image, centered at -14 degrees latitude and 319 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 213 by 97 kilometers (132 by 60 miles.) The resolution is 121 meters (about 250 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 11,800 kilometers (about 7,300 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ . ####### |
|
Bright-Dark ter
…
The boundary be
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
The boundary between the bright terrain of Harpagia Sulcus (right) and dark terrain of Nicholson Regio (left) areas of Jupiter's moon Ganymede springs out when viewed through red/blue 3-D glasses, in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it flew by Ganymede on May 20, 2000. Details of the rough, ancient, heavily cratered dark terrain of Nicholson Regio are in stark contrast to the very smooth, bright, young terrain of Harpagia Sulcus. In the center lies the transition to the boundary between these two regions, providing evidence that extensional faulting marks the boundary. A series of steep slopes deform the dark terrain close to the boundary. In the bright terrain, a deep trough and flanking ridge delimit the boundary. North is to the top of the picture. The Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The imaged region, centered at –14 degrees latitude and 319 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 25 by 10 kilometers (15.5 by 6 miles.) The resolutions of the two data sets are 20 meters (66 feet) per picture element and 121 meters (397 feet) per picture element. The higher resolution images were taken at a range of 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . The image was produced by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), http://solarsystem.dlr.de and Brown University, http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . # # # # # |
|
Stair-step scar
…
NASA's Galileo
…
12/16/00
| Date |
12/16/00 |
| Description |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft took this image of dark terrain within Nicholson Regio, near the border with Harpagia Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The ancient, heavily cratered dark terrain is faulted by a series of scarps. The faulted blocks form a series of 'stair-steps' like a tilted stack of books. On Earth, similar types of features form when tectonic faulting breaks the crust and the intervening blocks are pulled apart and rotate. This image supports the notion that the boundary between bright and dark terrain is created by that type of extensional faulting. North is to the right of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west (top). The image is centered at -14 degrees latitude and 320 degrees longitude, and covers an area approximately 16 by 15 kilometers (10 by 9 miles). The resolution is 20 meters (66 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on May 20, 2000, at a range of 2,090 kilometers (1,299 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo . The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ . # # # # # |
|
Voyager's Previ
…
| Title |
Voyager's Preview of Galileo at Ganymede |
| Explanation |
NASA's robot spacecraft Galileo [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ ] began its long voyage to Jupiter in October of 1989. In December of last year it arrived in the Jovian system, beginning its unprecedented, detailed exploration by dropping a probe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960123.html ] into the gas giant's atmosphere. By early this morning [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/g1.html ] it will have accomplished another milestone [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/galileo_today.html ] in its ambitious mission. Now in orbit around Jupiter [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/tourhilites.html ], Galileo will make its first close flyby of Ganymede, Jupiter's (and the solar system's) largest moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950904.html ] at 2:29 a.m. EDT. As planned [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/press1_gal.html ], approaching to within 524 miles, it will make a series of high resolution images of the surface which will reveal features as small as 33 feet across. This close-up color image from the Voyager 2 flyby in 1979 previews sights [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ganymede/vgrgan.html ] Galileo will see [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/sepo.html ] in greater detail. Showing features as small as 3 miles across, it reveals a variety of terrain on Ganymede's icy surface, including impact craters with bright rays and long strips of light grooved structures suggesting large scale motions of the frozen crust. Galileo's flyby images will be stored onboard for playback and should be available during the week of July 10. |
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The Valhalla Mu
…
PIA01649
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
The Valhalla Multi-ring Structure on Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These images of Callisto, the outermost of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, reveal a surface characterized by impact craters. The global view (lower left) is dominated by a large bulls-eye feature, the Valhalla multi-ring structure, consisting of a bright inner region about 600 kilometers (370 miles) across. Valhalla's 4,000 kilometer(2,500 mile) diameter make it one of the largest impact features in the solar system. Callisto is 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) in diameter. In this global view, the sun illuminates the surface from near the center, in the same way a full moon is seen from Earth when illuminated by the sun. The image on the right shows part of Valhalla at moderate resolution. At this resolution, the surface is appears to be somewhat smooth, with a lack of numerous small impact craters. Valhalla's outer rings are clearly seen to consist of troughs which could be fractures in the crust which resulted from the impact. The bright central plains possibly were created by the excavation and ejection of "cleaner" ice or liquid water from beneath the surface, with a fluid-like massfilling the crater bowl after impact. North is to the top of the picture. For the moderate resolution view on the right, the sun illuminates the surface from the left and the resolution is approximately 400 meters per picture element. The images were obtained on June 25, 1997 by the solid state imaging (SSI)system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft at a range of about 40,000 kilometers(25,000 miles) from Callisto during Galileo's ninth orbit of Jupiter. The global image on the left is centered at 0.5 degrees south latitude and 56 degrees longitude. The resolution is 14 kilometers per picture element. The images were obtained on November 5, 1997 at a range of 68,400 kilometers(42,400 miles) during Galileo's eleventh orbit of Jupiter. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Callisto: Pits
…
PIA01630
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Callisto: Pits or Craters? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Jupiter's second largest moon, Callisto, presents one of the mysteries discovered by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. In the upper left corner of the image, what appear to be very small craters are visible (See enlargement.) on the floors of some larger craters as well as in the area immediately adjacent to the larger craters. Some these smaller craters are not entirely circular. They are very similar to a population of unclassified "pits" seen in one Callisto mosaic [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00745 ] from Galileo's ninth orbit. One possible explanation for the pits is that they represent a class of previously unseen endogenic (formed by some surface or subsurface process, rather than an impact) features. Another explanation is that they are partially eroded secondary craters. Secondary craters are formed when an initial large impact ejects large enough pieces of the surface that the pieces themselves create small craters. By studying the orientation of the pits and clusters of small craters relative to larger impacts, as well as carefully examining the physical appearance of the two groups, scientists hope to discover the origin of the pits, and the possible relationship they may have with small craters. North is to the top of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the right. The full image, centered at 20.5 degrees north latitude and 142.2 degrees west longitude, covers an area approximately 72 kilometers (45 miles) by 55 kilometers (34) miles. The resolution is about 90 meters (295 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 17th, 1997 at a range of 8800 kilometers (5460 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its tenth orbit of Jupiter. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Impact Craters
…
PIA01648
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Impact Craters on Icy Callisto: Doh crater and Asgard |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This composite of Jupiter's icy moon Callisto combines data from two orbits showing several types of impact craters. North is to the top of the picture, the sun illuminates the surface from the east. The global image on the right shows one of the largest impact structures on Callisto, the Asgard multi-ring structure located near 30 degrees north latitude, 142 degrees west longitude. The Asgard structure is approximately 1700 kilometers (1,054 miles) across and consists of a bright central zone surrounded by discontinuous rings. The rings include degraded ridges near the central zone and troughs at the outer margin, which resulted from deformation of the icy crust following impact. Smaller impacts have smashed into Callisto after the formation of Asgard. The young, bright-rayed crater Burr located on the northern part of Asgardis about 75 kilometers (46 miles) across. Galileo images show a third type of impact crater in this image, a dome crater named Doh, located in the bright central plains of Asgard. Doh (left image) is about 55 kilometers (34 miles)in diameter, while the dome is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) across. Dome craters contain a central mound instead of a bowl shaped depression or central mountain (peak) typically seen in larger impact craters. This type of crater could represent penetration into a slushy zone beneath the surface of the Asgard impact. The global image on the right was taken on November 4, 1996, at a distance of 111,900 kilometers (69,400 miles) by the solid state imaging (SSI) camera onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its third orbit around Jupiter. The image on the left was obtained at a resolution of 90 meters (295 feet)per picture element on September 16, 1997 during Galileo's tenth orbit when the spacecraft was less than 9,500 kilometers (6,000 miles) from Callisto. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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The Asgard Hemi
…
PIA01100
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
The Asgard Hemisphere of Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
False color view of a portion of the leading hemisphere of Jupiter's moon Callisto as seen through the infrared filters of the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the east. More recent impacts have excavated bright, relatively clean ice from beneath Callisto's battered surface. Callisto's dark mottled appearance may be due to contamination by non-ice components contributed by impactors or concentrated in a residue as ice is removed. This color composite image is centered on longitude 139 West and encompasses an area about 1000 miles (1600 kilometers) by 2470 miles (4000 kilometers). The images were obtained on November 3rd, 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede Global
PIA00706
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede Global |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
View of Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft during its first encounter with the Satellite. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the right. The finest details that can be discerned in this picture are about 6.7 kilometers across. The Universal Time is 8:45:09 UT on June 26, 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede Color
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PIA00716
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede Color Global |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Natural color view of Ganymede from the Galileo spacecraft during its first encounter with the satellite. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the right. The dark areas are the older, more heavily cratered regions and the light areas are younger, tectonically deformed regions. The brownish-gray color is due to mixtures of rocky materials and ice. Bright spots are geologically recent impact craters and their ejecta. The finest details that can be discerned in this picture are about 13.4 kilometers across. The images which combine for this color image were taken beginning at Universal Time 8:46:04 UT on June 26, 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Mosaic of Io
PIA01108
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Mosaic of images of Io acquired during orbit C3, showing more than half of Io's surface. These are the best images available to show topographic features over most of this region. The map projection is called Simple Cylindrical, and the grid lines mark 10 degree intervals of latitude and longitude. The mosaic covers an area of about 8 million square kilometers, and the finest details that can discerned are about 2.5 kilometers in size. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the left. The images which form this mosaic were obtained through the clear filter of the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Nov. 6, 1996 (Universal Time) at a range which varied from 245,719 kilometers to 403,100 kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Jupiter's Ring
…
PIA01621
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Jupiter's Ring System |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This mosaic of Jupiter's ring system was acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft when the Sun was behind the planet, and the spacecraft was in Jupiter's shadow peering back toward the Sun. [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/occultation.html ] Galileo's November 1996 trajectory In such a configuration, very small dust-sized particles are accentuated so both the ring particles and the smallest particles in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter are highlighted. Such small particles are believed to have human-scale lifetimes, i.e., very brief compared to the solar system's age. Jupiter's ring system is composed of three parts: a flat main ring, a toroidal halo interior to the main ring, and the gossamer ring, which lies exterior to the main ring. Only the main ring and a hint of the surrounding halo can be seen in this mosaic. In order to see the less dense components (the outer halo and gossamer ring) the images must be overexposed with respect to the main ring. This composite of two mosaics was taken through the clear filter (610 nanometers) of the solid state imaging (CCD) system on November 9, 1996, during Galileo's third orbit of Jupiter. The ring was approximately 2,300,000 kilometers away. The resolution is approximately 46 kilometers per picture element from right to left, however, because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened in the vertical direction. The vertical bright arcs in the middle of the ring mosaics show the edges of Jupiter and are composed of images obtained by NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Io imaging duri
…
PIA01605
Jupiter
| Title |
Io imaging during Galileo's 24th orbit |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During its 14th orbit of Jupiter in March 29, 1998, NASA's Galileo spacecraft captured an image of Jupiter's moon, Io, that has the same lighting geometry that will exist during Io's close Io flyby on October 11, 1999 (the 24th orbit). The spacecraft groundtrack on Io is shown, with two-minute intervals marked by X's. The large X marks the location of closest approach, when Galileo will be just 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) above Io's surface. The curved boundary on the left marks the "terminator" or boundary between the lit day side and dark night side. Although the Pele volcano will be on the night side during the flyby, the hot lavas will be seen glowing in the dark. Other targets of interest that will be visible near closest approach are Pillan Patera, the site of dramatic surface changes [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00744 ], Reiden Patera, Marduk, the bright plains of Colchis regio, and the rugged Dorian Montes mountains. Active volcanic plumes and high-temperature hot spots have been seen at Pele, Pillan, and Marduk. North is to the top of this image, which has a resolution of 2.6 kilometers (1.6 miles) per picture element. The image was taken at a range of 256,948 kilometers (about 160,000 miles) by the solid state imaging camera system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] . |
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Topography on E
…
PIA01101
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Topography on Europa....the Shadow knows |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Europa was taken by the Galileo spacecraft under "low-sun" illumination--the equivalent of taking a picture from a high altitude at sunrise or sunset. Note that in this image the topography of the terrain is emphasized. Planetary geologists use information from images acquired under a variety of lighting conditions to identify different types of structures and interpret how they formed. For example, the length of the shadow cast by a feature (e.g. a ridge or knob) is indicative of that feature's height. In this recent image, ridges and irregularly shaped knobs ranging in size from 5 kilometers across down to the limit of resolution (0.44 kilometers/pixel) can be seen. Measurements from shadow lengths indicate that features in this image range from tens of meters up to approximately one hundred meters in height. The Galileo spacecraft acquired this image of Europa's surface during its third orbit around Jupiter. The image covers an area approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) by 75 kilometers (45 miles), centered near 10S, 190W. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Calderas" on Ga
…
PIA01614
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Calderas" on Ganymede? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Galileo imaging camera targeted an area in Sippar Sulcus on Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. Images obtained in 1979 by NASA's Voyager spacecraft showed that the area contained curvilinear and arcuate scarps or cliffs. These features appeared to be depressions which were candidate sources for some of the water ice volcanism thought to form the bright grooved terrain on Ganymede. The high resolution Galileo images seen here reveal that one of these structures contains a lobate, flow-like feature that is the best candidate yet seen for an icy volcanic lava flow on Ganymede. The prominent depression with scalloped walls and internal terraces is about 55 kilometers (km) in length and 17 to 20 km wide. On the floor of the inner depression is a lobate flow-like deposit 7 to 10 km wide with ridges that are curved outward (and apparently downslope) toward a cross-cutting lane of grooved terrain. The morphology of this structure suggests the possibility of volcanic eruptions creating a channel and flow, and cutting down into the surface. North is to the bottom of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the left. The mosaic, centered at 31 degrees south latitude and 189 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 91 by 62 kilometers. The resolution is 172 meters per picture element. The images were taken on May 7, 1997 at 15 hours, 18 minutes, 35 seconds Universal Time at a range of 17,489 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging(SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Recent Eruption
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PIA03884
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Recent Eruption at Gish Bar Patera on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals fresh lava in a wide pit named Gish Bar Patera on Jupiter's moon Io. The patera, or depression, is quite large: 106.3 kilometers (66 miles) by 115.0 kilometers (71 miles). Galileo has detected volcanic activity at this site in the past, particularly in late 1996. Galileo took this image on Oct. 16, 2001, during its 32nd orbit of Jupiter. Effects of a new eruption at Gish Bar can be seen in a comparison with images from 1999 (see figure below). The new eruption was first detected in infrared imaging by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer in August 2001. This visible-light image shows a pair of new lava flows. The largest runs to the western boundary and extends to the central and northern portions of the patera. The other flow corresponds to a secondary depression in the southeastern portion of the patera. Based on changes seen at this depression between July and October 1999, this is thought to be the site of an outburst seen by Earth-based observers in August 1999. Gish Bar Patera lies at the base of an 11-kilometer (36,000-foot) mountain at 15.6 degrees north latitude, 89.1 degrees west longitude on Io. This image was taken from a distance of 25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles) and has a resolution of 250 meters (820 feet) per pixel. The Sun is straight behind the observer, an illumination angle that minimizes shadows and emphasizes inherent brightness variations rather than topography. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Recent Eruption
…
PIA03884
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Recent Eruption at Gish Bar Patera on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveals fresh lava in a wide pit named Gish Bar Patera on Jupiter's moon Io. The patera, or depression, is quite large: 106.3 kilometers (66 miles) by 115.0 kilometers (71 miles). Galileo has detected volcanic activity at this site in the past, particularly in late 1996. Galileo took this image on Oct. 16, 2001, during its 32nd orbit of Jupiter. Effects of a new eruption at Gish Bar can be seen in a comparison with images from 1999 (see figure below). The new eruption was first detected in infrared imaging by Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer in August 2001. This visible-light image shows a pair of new lava flows. The largest runs to the western boundary and extends to the central and northern portions of the patera. The other flow corresponds to a secondary depression in the southeastern portion of the patera. Based on changes seen at this depression between July and October 1999, this is thought to be the site of an outburst seen by Earth-based observers in August 1999. Gish Bar Patera lies at the base of an 11-kilometer (36,000-foot) mountain at 15.6 degrees north latitude, 89.1 degrees west longitude on Io. This image was taken from a distance of 25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles) and has a resolution of 250 meters (820 feet) per pixel. The Sun is straight behind the observer, an illumination angle that minimizes shadows and emphasizes inherent brightness variations rather than topography. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Regional View o
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PIA01618
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Regional View of Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
View of the Marius Regio and Nippur Sulcus area of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede showing the dark and bright grooved terrain which is typical of this satellite. This regional scale view was imaged near the terminator (the line between day and night) and provides geologic context for small areas that were imaged at much higher resolution earlier in the tour of NASA's Galileo spacecraft through the Jovian system. The older, more heavily cratered dark terrain of Marius Regio is rutted with furrows, shallow troughs perhaps formed as a result of ancient giant impacts. Bright grooved terrain is younger and is formed through tectonism probably combined with icy volcanism. The lane of grooved terrain in the lower left, Byblus Sulcus [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01088 ], was imaged during the spacecraft's second orbit, as were Philus Sulcus and Nippur Sulcus [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00497 ], seen here in the upper left. Placing the small higher resolution targets of Galileo's second orbit into the context of more distant, lower resolution views of the areas surrounding and connecting them, and imaging them along Ganymede's terminator, allows for an integrated understanding of Ganymede' s geology. North is to the top left of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower right. The image, centered at 43 degrees latitude and 194 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 664 by 518 kilometers. The resolution is 940 meters per picture element. The image was taken on May 7, 1997 at 12 hours, 50 minutes, 11 seconds Universal Time at a range of 92,402 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Mosaic of Jupit
…
PIA00832
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (727 nm) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Great Red Spot of Jupiter as seen through a "Methane" filter (727 nm) of the Galileo imaging system. The image is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. The mosaic was taken over a 76 second interval beginning at universal time 14 hours, 31 minutes, 52 seconds on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles. The Red Spot is not unique, but is simply the largest of a class of long-lived vortices, some of which are visible in the lower part of the image. The range is 1.46 million kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Dome shaped fea
…
PIA00852
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Dome shaped features on Europa's surface |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Solid State Imaging system aboard the spacecraft Galileo took this image of the surface of Europa on February 20, 1997 during its sixth orbit around Jupiter. The image is located near 16 North, 268 West, illumination is from the lower-right. The area covered is approximately 48 miles (80 kilometers) by 56 miles (95 kilometers) across. North is toward the top of the image. This image reveals that the icy surface of Europa has been disrupted by ridges and faults numerous times during its past. These ridges have themselves been disrupted by the localized formation of domes and other features that may be indicative of thermal upwelling of water from beneath the crust. These features provide strong evidence for the presence of subsurface liquid during Europa's recent past. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Thera and Thrac
…
PIA02099
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Thera and Thrace on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Thera and Thrace are two dark, reddish regions of enigmatic terrain that disrupt the older icy ridged plains on Jupiter's moon Europa. North is toward the top of the mosaic obtained by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Thera (left) is about 70 kilometers wide by 85 kilometers high (43 by 53 miles) and appears to lie slightly below the level of the surrounding plains. Some bright icy plates which are observed inside appear to be dislodged from the edges of the chaos region. The curved fractures along its boundaries suggest that collapse may have been involved in Thera's formation. In contrast, Thrace (right) is longer, shows a hummocky texture, and appears to stand at or slightly above the older surrounding bright plains. Thrace abuts the gray band Libya Linea to the south and appears to darken Libya. One model for the formation of these and other chaos regions on Europa is complete melt-through of Europa's icy shell from an ocean below. Another model is that warm ice welled up from below and caused partial melting and disruption of the surface. To produce this image, two regional images obtained at a resolution of 220 meters (240 yards) per picture element during Galileo's 17th orbit of Jupiter were colorized with lower resolution (1.4 kilometers or 1526 yards per picture element) images of the region obtained during the 14th orbit. The color image is generated from the violet, green, and near-infrared (968 nanometers) filters of the Galileo Solid State Imaging system and exaggerates the subtle color differences of Europa's surface. The mosaic, centered at about 50 degrees south latitude and 180 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 525 by 300 kilometers (325 by 186 miles). The images from the 17th orbit were acquired at Universal Time 02 hours, 51 minutes, 56 seconds on September 26, 1998 when the sun illuminated the region from the northeast. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Detailed View o
…
PIA03527
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Detailed View of Mountain and Craters at Tohil, Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists pointed NASA's Galileo spacecraft camera at the Tohil region of Jupiter's moon Io to investigate the curious relationship between Io's mountains and its volcanoes. This mosaic of Galileo images taken Oct. 16, 2001, shows details of the mountain called Tohil Mons (lower left), a small dark-floored volcanic crater, or "patera," bordered by mountain walls (middle), and intricate patterns of dark lava flows intertwined with bright material on the floor of a larger crater, Tohil Patera (upper right). An earlier stereoobservation [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02586 ] by Galileo revealed that Tohil Mons rises up to 6 kilometers (19,700 feet) above the surrounding plains. In contrast, shadows in the new images indicate the two paterae are only about 100 meters (330 feet) deep. The new images were taken soon after sunrise at Tohil, with a resolution of 50 meters (160 feet) per picture element to reveal details never seen before. Another view showing the entire mountain at lower resolution [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03600 ]was also acquired. Despite Io's extremely high rate of volcanic activity, its mountains do not resemble volcanoes seen elsewhere in the solar system. Instead, the mountains appear to be formed by the uplift of large blocks of Io's crust. This image shows evidence of numerous landslides from the mountain (bottom left). However, one of the most surprising revelations from this observation is that despite the closeness of the small, dark-floored patera to the mountain walls, the patera floor is not covered with any landslide debris. This indicates that the patera floor has been resurfaced with lava more recently than any landslides have occurred. Another possibility is that this patera, like others on Io [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02596 ] is actually a lava lake and completely consumes debris that falls into it from the mountain. Galileo's infrared-mapping instrument has detected heat from the patera, indicating an active or very recent eruption. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the right. The mosaic is centered at 27.5 degrees south latitude and 160 degrees west longitude and covers 280 kilometers (170 miles) from upper right to lower left. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educationalcontext for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
New plume vent
…
PIA03531
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
New plume vent near Zamama, Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The source area of what had been a towering volcanic plume two months earlier lies in the far-right frame of this mosaic of images taken of Jupiter's moon Io by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on Oct. 16, 2001. The region in the images includes the Zamama lava flow in Jupiter's northern hemisphere. The Zamama flow field emanates from the northernmost of two small volcanoes in the far left frame. These lava flows were not present in Voyager images of Io, so they formed some time between the Voyager 1 flyby in 1979 and the first Galileo observations of Io in 1996. Galileo also observed Zamama during Io encounters in 1999 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02504 ], and scientists identified narrow, long, dark lava flows thought to be similar to lava flows in Hawaii. Moving northeast, the second and third frames of this mosaic contain lava flow fields and several unnamed volcanic depressions, called "paterae." It is unclear whether the broad, shield-like features or plateaus on which the paterae rest were created by eruptions from the paterae, or if they were preexisting features. Some fractures and dark lines suggest that the crust here is breaking up, creating cracks that magma can use to rise to the surface. The far-right frame of this mosaic shows dark lava flows and bright spots. The bright spots are probably sulfur-bearing plume deposits, which are thought to be associated with the source of a plume eruption [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02592 ] 500 kilometers (310 miles) high that was observed by the Galileo spacecraft in August, 2001. It was the largest plume eruption ever observed on Io. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Pwyll Crater on
…
PIA00586
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Pwyll Crater on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Pwyll crater on Jupiter's moon, Europa, was photographed by the Solid State Imaging system on the Galileo spacecraft during its sixth orbit around Jupiter. This impact crater is located at 26 degrees south latitude, 271 degrees west longitude, and is about 26 kilometers (16 miles) in diameter. Lower resolution pictures of Pwyll Crater taken earlier in the mission show that material ejected by the impact can be traced for hundreds of miles across the icy surface of Europa. The dark zone seen here in and around the crater is material excavated from several kilometers (a few miles) below the surface. Also visible in this picture are complex ridges. The two images comprising this mosaic were taken on February 20, 1997 from a distance of 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) by the Galileo spacecraft. The area shown is about 120 kilometers by 100 kilometers (75 miles by 60 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Ridges and Frac
…
PIA00849
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ridges and Fractures on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This high resolution image of the icy crust of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, reveals a surface criss-crossed by multiple sets of ridges and fractures. The area covered by this image is approximately 9 miles (15 kilometers) by 7 miles (12 kilometers), located near 15 North, 273 West. North is to the top, and the sun is illuminating the terrain from the right. The large ridge in the lower right corner of the image is approximately 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) across, and is one of the youngest features in this image, as it cuts across many of the other features. Note that one ridge has been sheared by a right-lateral fault. This image was taken by the Galileo spacecraft on February 20, 1997 from a distance of 1240 miles (2000 kilometers). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
High Spatial Re
…
PIA00855
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
High Spatial Resolution Europa Coverage by the Galileo Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The NIMS instrument on the Galileo spacecraft, which is being used to map the mineral and ice properties over the surfaces of the Jovian moons, produces global spectral images at modest spatial resolution and high resolution spectral images for small selected regions on the satellites. This map illustrates the high resolution coverage of Europa obtained by NIMS through the April 1997 G7 orbit. The areas covered are displayed on a Voyager-derived map. A good sampling of the dark trailing-side material (180 to 360 degrees) has been obtained, with less coverage of Europa's leading side. The false-color composites use red, green and blue to represent the infrared brightnesses at 0.7, 1.51 and 1.82 microns respectively. Considerable variations are evident and are related to the composition and sizes of the surface grains. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Agenor Linea at
…
PIA01646
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Agenor Linea at High Resolution |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Agenor Linea is an unusual feature on Jupiter's icy moon Europa since it is brighter than its surroundings while most of Europa's ridges and bands are relatively dark. During the Galileo spacecraft's 17th orbit of Jupiter, high resolution images were obtained of Agenor Linea near Europa's day/night boundary so as to emphasize fine surface details. This mosaic shows high resolution images embedded in slightly lower resolution images which were also acquired during the 17th orbit. The Galileo images show that Agenoris not a ridge, but is relatively flat. Its interior consists of several long bands, just one of which is the very bright feature known as Agenor. Each long band shows fine striations along its length. A few very small craters pockmark Agenor Linea and its surroundings. Agenor is cut by some narrow fractures, and by some small subcircular features called lenticulae. Rough chaotic terrain is visible at the top and bottom of this photo, and appears to be "eating away" at the edges of Agenor. Though previously it was suspected that Agenor Linea might be one of the youngest features on Europa, this new view shows that it is probably not. North is to the upper right of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the east. The image, centered at 44 degrees south latitude and 219 degrees west longitude, covers an area approximately 130 by 95 kilometers (80 by 60 miles). The highest resolution images were obtained at a resolution of about 50 meters (165 feet) per picture element and are shown here in context at about 220 meters per picture element. The images were taken on September 26th, 1998 at ranges as close as 5000 kilometers (3100 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Europa's Leadin
…
PIA00874
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Europa's Leading Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Europa's leading hemisphere was obtained by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on board NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its seventh orbit of Jupiter. In the upper left part of the image is Tyre, a multi-ringed structure that may have formed as a result of an ancient impact. Also visible are numerous lineaments that extend for over 1000 kilometers. The limb, or edge, of Europa in this image can be used by scientists to constrain the radius and shape of the satellite. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the right. The image, centered at -40 latitude and 180 longitude, covers an area approximately 2000 by 1300 kilometers. The finest details that can be discerned in this picture are about 6.6 kilometers across. The images were taken on April 3, 1997 at 17 hours, 42 minutes, 19 seconds Universal Time when the spacecraft was at a range of 31,8628 kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Cross-cutting R
…
PIA00851
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Cross-cutting Relationships of Surface Features on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Jupiter's moon Europa shows a very complex terrain of ridges and fractures. The absence of large craters and the low number of small craters indicates that this surface is geologically young. The relative ages of the ridges can be determined by using the principle of cross-cutting relationships, i.e. older features are cross-cut by younger features. Using this principle, planetary geologists are able to unravel the sequence of events in this seemingly chaotic terrain to unfold Europa's unique geologic history. The spacecraft Galileo obtained this image on February 20, 1997. The area covered in this image is approximately 11 miles (18 kilometers) by 8.5 miles (14 kilometers) across, near 15 North, 273 West. North is toward the top of the image, with the sun illuminating from the right. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Prominent Doubl
…
PIA00542
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Prominent Doublet Ridges on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image of Jupiter's satellite Europa was obtained from a range of 7364 miles (11851 km) by the Galileo spacecraft during its fourth orbit around Jupiter and its first close pass of Europa. The image spans 30 miles by 57 miles (48 km x 91 km) and shows features as small as 800 feet (240 meters) across, a resolution more than 150 times better than the best Voyager coverage of this area. The sun illuminates the scene from the right. The large circular feature in the upper left of the image could be the scar of a large meteorite impact. Clusters of small craters seen in the right of the image may mark sites where debris thrown from this impact fell back to the surface. Prominent doublet ridges over a mile (1.6 km) wide cross the plains in the right part of the image, younger ridges overlap older ones, allowing the sequence of formation to be determined. Gaps in ridges indicate areas where emplacement of new surface material has obliterated pre-existing terrain. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Io's Pele Hemis
…
PIA01667
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io's Pele Hemisphere After Pillan Changes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This global view of Jupiter's moon, Io, was obtained during the tenth orbit of Jupiter by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Io, which is slightly larger than Earth's moon, is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. In this enhanced color composite, deposits of sulfur dioxide frost appear in white and grey hues while yellowish and brownish hues are probably due to other sulfurous materials. Bright red materials, such as the prominent ring surrounding Pele, and "black" spots with low brightness mark areas of recent volcanic activity and are usually associated with high temperatures and surface changes. One of the most dramatic changes [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00744 ] is the appearance of a new dark spot (upper right edge of Pele), 400 kilometers (250 miles)in diameter which surrounds a volcanic center named Pillan Patera. The dark spot did not exist in images obtained 5 months earlier, but Galileo imaged a 120 kilometer (75 mile) high plume erupting from this location during its ninth orbit. North is to the top of the picture which was taken on September 19, 1997 at a range of more than 500,000 kilometers (310,000 miles)by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
|
Jupiter's Gossa
…
PIA00659
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Jupiter's Gossamer Ring |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Jupiter's ring system is composed of three parts: a flat main ring, a toroidal halo interior to the main ring, and the gossamer ring, which lies exterior to the main ring. The gossamer ring is the extremely diffuse and uniform band that stretches across the center of this mosaic, starting from the main ring and halo on the right-hand side. The gossamer ring had been seen previously only in the single Voyager image in which it was discovered at a very low brightness level, there its brightness appeared to drop from about one-tenth the main ring's value until the ring totally vanished at a distance of about three Jovian radii. The gossamer ring is clearly visible in this Galileo view, the left side of the image corresponds to a radial distance of about 2.2 Jovian radii. The outer edge of the gossamer ring is beyond the edge of this mosaic. [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/gossamer.html ] Jupiter's gossamer ring To accentuate the very faint, gossamer ring, the images were overexposed with respect to the main ring and the halo (both seen on the far right of the mosaic). In these long exposures, some stars are visible, other specks in the mosaic were caused by cosmic ray hits to the CCD. All parts of the Jovian rings scatter sunlight very efficiently in the forward direction, indicating that the particles are micrometers or less in diameter, small than the thickness of tissue paper. Such small particles are believed to have human-scale lifetimes, i.e., very brief compared to the solar system's age. These images were taken through the clear filter (610 nanometers) of the solid state imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 9, 1996. The resolution is approximately 46 kilometers per picture element from right to left, however, because the spacecraft was only about 0.5 degrees above the ring plane, the image is highly foreshortened in the vertical direction. The images were obtained when Galileo was in Jupiter's shadow, peering back toward the Sun, the ring was approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) away. Jupiter lies about a full frame off the right edge. The view of Earth's moon included in the explanatory graphics was created from imagery returned by the BMDO/NASA Clementine lunar orbiter which was launched in early 1994. (BMDO is Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.) The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Europa In Color
PIA00275
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Europa In Color |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
False color has been used here to enhance the visibility of certain features in this composite of three images of the Minos Linea region on Jupiter's moon Europa taken on 28 June 1996 Universal Time by the solid state imaging camera on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Triple bands, lineae and mottled terrains appear in brown and reddish hues, indicating the presence of contaminants in the ice. The icy plains, shown here in bluish hues, subdivide into units with different albedos at infrared wavelengths probably because of differences in the grain size of the ice. The composite was produced using images with effective wavelengths at 989, 757, and 559 nanometers. The spatial resolution in the individual images ranges from 1.6 to 3.3 kilometers (1 to 2 miles) per pixel. The area covered, centered at 45N, 221 W, is about 1,260 km (about 780 miles) across. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
PPR Great Red S
…
PIA01234
Sol (our sun)
Photopolarimete
…
| Title |
PPR Great Red Spot Temperature Map |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This map shows temperature for the region around Jupiter's Great Red Spot and an area to the northwest. It corresponds to a level in Jupiter's atmosphere where the pressure is 1/2 of the of the Earth's at sea level (500 millibars), the same as it is near 6000 meters (20,000 feet) above sea level on Earth. The center of Great Red Spot appears colder than the surrounding areas, where air from below is being brought up. The "panhandle" to the northwest is warmer and drier, and the gases there are descending, so it is much clearer of clouds. Compare this map to one released earlier at a higher place in the atmosphere (250 millibars or 12000 meters). The center of the Great Red Spot is warmer lower in the atmosphere, and a white "hot spot" appears in this image that is not present at the higher place. This map was made from data taken by the Photopolarimeter/Radiometer (PPR) instrument on June 26, 1996. Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft's mission is to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons and the Jovian magnetic environment. JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Zal Patera, Io,
…
PIA02527
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Zal Patera, Io, in color |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The Zal Patera region of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io is shown in this combination of high-resolution black and white images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on November 25, 1999 and lower resolution color images taken by Galileo on July 3, 1999. By combining both types of images, Galileo scientists can better understand the relationships between the different surface materials and the underlying geologic structures. For example, in the center toward the top of the picture, the edge of the caldera, or volcanic crater, is marked by the black flows, and it coincides with the edge of a plateau. Also, the red material(just above and to the right of the center of the image) is typically associated with regions where lava is erupting onto the surface. Here the red material follows the base of a mountain, which may indicate that sulfurous gases are escaping along a fault associated with the formation of the mountain. Scientists can use the lengths of the shadows cast to estimate the height of the mountains. They estimate that the northernmost plateau, which bounds the western edge of Zal Patera, rises up to approximately 2 kilometers (6,600 feet) high. The mountain to the south of the caldera has peaks up to approximately 4.6 kilometers (15,000 feet) high, while the small peak at the bottom of the picture is approximately 4.2 kilometers (14,000 feet) high. North is to the top of the image, which is centered at 33.7 degrees north latitude and 81.9 degrees west longitude. The higher resolution images have a sharpness of about 260 meters (or yards) per picture element, and they are illuminated from the left. These images were taken on November 25, 1999 at a range of 26,000 kilometers (16,000 miles). The color images are illuminated from almost directly behind the Galileo spacecraft. The resolution of the color images is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. They were taken on July 3, 1999 at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages Galileo 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Galileo's Near-
…
PIA02509
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Galileo's Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer Detects Active Lava Flows at Prometheus Volcano, Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The active volcano Prometheus on Jupiter's moon Io was imaged by the near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft during the close flyby of Io on October 10, 1999. The images were taken at a distance of about 15,000 kilometers (9,400 miles). The spectrometer can detect active volcanoes on Io by measuring their heat in the near-infrared wavelengths (just beyond the red end of human vision). It can also obtain information on the composition of materials on Io¹s surface using the same wavelengths. The image on the left, taken at an infrared wavelength, shows the different compositions of materials on the volcano. The dark material is thought to be silicate lava, and the white material is sulfur dioxide frost. Sulfur dioxide erupts out of this volcano as a plume and condenses into snow by the time it reaches the ground, forming a distinctive white ring around the volcano. The image on the right was taken at a longer infrared wavelength that shows heat coming out of the volcano. The hottest areas appear white and the coolest appear black. From this image, it is clear that there are two major "hot spots" (high-temperature areas) on this volcano. The hottest area (white spot on the left) corresponds to a location where images taken by Galileo's camera show a complex lava flow field. The cooler "hot spot" (green spot on the right) is located near where camera images show a newly-discovered volcanic caldera [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02508 ]. The high temperatures at both hot spots are probably due to active lava flowing on the surface. Previous observations of the Prometheus region by the spectrometer, taken when the spacecraft was at much greater distances from Io, showed Prometheus to be a persistently active volcano. Temperatures calculated from spectrometer data areas high as about 800 degrees Celsius or 1,500 Fahrenheit), similar to those of cooling lava flows in Hawaii. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] Background information and educational context for the images can be found athttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/images.html [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/images.html ] |
|
Mountains on Io
PIA02520
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mountains on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during its close flyby of Jupiter's moon Io on November 25, 1999 shows some of the curious mountains found there. The Sun is illuminating the scene from the left, and because it is setting, the Sun exaggerates the shadows cast by the mountains. By measuring the lengths of these shadows, Galileo scientists can estimate the height of the mountains. The mountain just left of the middle of the picture is 4 kilometers (13,000 feet) high and the small peak to the lower left is 1.6 kilometers (5,000 feet) high. These mountains, like others imaged during a previous Galileo flyby of Io in October [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02513 ], seem to be in the process of collapsing. Huge landslides have left piles of debris at the bases of the mountains. The ridges that parallel their margins are also indicative of material moving down the mountainsides due to gravity. North is to the upper left of the picture. The image, centered at -8.1degrees latitude and 78.7 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 210-by-110 kilometers (130-by-70 miles). The resolution is 267 meters (880 feet) per picture element. The image was taken at a range of 25,000 kilometers (16,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard camera. 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Earth-based ima
…
PIA02523
Jupiter
| Title |
Earth-based images of the Fall 1999 Loki Eruption |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These false-color images of Io and Jupiter were taken with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, as part of a campaign to support closeup Io observations by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. These and other Earth-based observations show that Io's most powerful volcano, Loki, began one of its periodic major eruptions about a month before Galileo's October Io flyby, and that the eruption was continuing during the Galileo flyby. These infrared images (taken at a wavelength of 3.8 microns) show Sunlight reflected from the edge of Jupiter's disk on the left-hand side, and the heat from several glowing volcanoes on Io on the right. Io is in Jupiter's shadow, so no Sunlight falls on it -- the volcanoes are all we see. On August 9, 1999 (left), several volcanoes glowed faintly with roughly equal brightness. However, on October 10, 1999, roughly 20 hours before Galileo flew past, a single volcano, Loki, dominated the image. Loki brightened by a factor of ten in the period between these images. Other observations from the NASA Infrared Telescope and from Wyoming Infrared Telescope near Laramie operated by the University of Wyoming show that most of this brightening occurred during September. Earth-based observations since the 1980s have shown that these periodic bright eruptions are typical behavior for Loki. They occur about once per year and last several months. Galileo has given us our first chance to see one of these eruptions up close. 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 mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Sources of Volc
…
PIA02565
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Sources of Volcanic Plumes Near Prometheus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Prometheus is the "Old Faithful" of the many active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io. A broad, umbrella-shaped plume of gas and dust has been spotted above Prometheus by NASA's Voyager and Galileo spacecraft every time the viewing conditions have been favorable. The volcano is surrounded by a prominent circular ring of bright sulfur dioxide apparently deposited by the plume. However, the origin of Prometheus' plume is a long-standing mystery: Where is the vent that is the source of all the gas and dust? Some clues are offered by this false-color picture with a resolution of 170 meters (186 yards) per picture element, which was taken by Galileo on February 22, 2000. To the right is a dark, semi-circular, lava-filled caldera. South of it lies a fissure from which dark lava has flowed toward the west (left). The lava flow extends 90 kilometers (54 miles) from the source. Bright patches probably composed of sulfur dioxide can be seen in several places along the flow's margins. Two of these patches (near the top left edge of the dark lava, at the farthest reaches of the flow) display faint blue hazes, apparently produced by airborne dust entrained within plumes. Both of these spots are locations of newly erupted lava that has encroached on the surrounding plains since Galileo last imaged the region in October 1999. Galileo scientists are now studying whether heating of the volatile, sulfur dioxide-rich plains by encroaching hot lava might account for the persistent plume activity observed near Prometheus. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Ganymede dark t
…
PIA02571
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede dark terrain at high resolution |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Impact craters dominate the surface down to the smallest features visible on the dark terrain of the Nicholson Regio region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. It is the highest resolution view ever obtained of Ganymede's dark terrain. Both the regional-scale image at the bottom and high-resolution image at the top were taken by Galileo during its May 20, 2000, flyby of Ganymede. The latter are the highest resolution images ever obtained of Ganymede's dark terrain, which makes up about one third of Ganymede's surface. Impact cratering is clearly the dominant mechanism of surface modification in this relatively ancient terrain, which is analogous to the cratered highlands of Earth's Moon. Small-scale craters seem to mimic larger-scale craters, as is apparent in the similarities between the high and medium resolution scenes. The bright spots are probably fresh ice-rich ejecta excavated by the most recent impact events. North is to the top of the images and the Sun illuminates the surface from the west. The medium-resolution image, centered at ?15 degrees latitude and 337 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 237 by 130 kilometers (147 by 81 miles) at a resolution of 125 meters (410 feet) per picture element. The high-resolution image is at 28 meters (92 feet) per picture element. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The images were produced by Arizona State University, Tempe, and Brown University, Providence, R.I. Their websites are athttp://europa.la.asu.edu/index.html [ http://europa.la.asu.edu/index.html ] and http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ [ http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ ]. |
|
Not-so-smooth b
…
PIA02581
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Not-so-smooth bright terrain of Harpagia Sulcus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The highest-resolution images ever obtained of Jupiter's moon Ganymede show that even smooth-looking terrain has been deformed at a fine scale. The high-resolution image taken of the bright Harpagia Sulcus area by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during a May 20, 2000, flyby of Ganymede shows features as small as 16 meters (52 feet). This area was selected for a closer look because, in images taken by NASA's Voyager spacecraft about 20 years earlier, it looked as flat as a hockey rink. It appears smooth even in a medium-resolution Galileo image (at 116 meters or 380 feet per pixel) that is superimposed over a Voyager image in the top portion of this frame. But the closeup shot revealed that, instead of a hockey rink, the area has ups and downs that would be challenging for across-country skier. North is to the top of the picture and the Sun illuminates the surface from the left. The medium-resolution image mosaic is centered at -16degrees latitude and 310 degrees longitude, and covers an area approximately 282 by 144 kilometers (175 by 89 miles). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image was produced by DLR (German Aerospace Center), Berlin, and Brown University, Providence, R.I., http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ [ http://solarsystem.dlr.de/ ]andhttp://www.planetary.brown.edu/ [ http://www.planetary.brown.edu/ ]. |
|
Colorful Tupan
…
PIA02599
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Colorful Tupan Patera, Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Wonderful colors in a volcanic crater named Tupan Patera on Jupiter's moon Io, as seen in this image from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, show varied results of lava interacting with sulfur-rich materials. The colorfulness of the image is only slightly enhanced from what the human eye would see on the scene. The red in the image includes a small amount of infrared energy. Tupan Patera, named after a Brazilian thunder god, was seen as an active hot spot in earlier Galileo observations, but those low-resolution views [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02319 ] did not show details of volcanic activity. This image taken in October 2001 at a resolution of 135 meters (443 feet) per picture element reveals the complex nature of the crater. Tupan is now clearly shown to be a volcanic depression, about 75 kilometers (47 miles) across, surrounded by cliffs about 900 meters (3000 feet) tall. In the center is a large area that must be higher than the rest of the crater floor because it has not been covered by the dark lavas. Much of the area is coated with a diffuse red deposit that Galileo scientists believe has condensed from sulfur gas escaping from volcanic vents. The floor of Tupan is covered with a surreal pattern of dark black, green, red, and yellow materials. The black material is recent, still-warm lava. The yellow is presumed to be a mix of sulfurous compounds, and the green appears to form where red sulfur has interacted with the dark lavas. While Galileo scientists have found previous evidence for both molten sulfur and molten rock on Io, this image shows the best evidence to date of chemical reactions taking place between the two. The intermingled patches of sulfur and lava are difficult to explain. The yellowish sulfur may be melting from within the crater walls over solidified but warm lava. The sulfur may boil away from the areas too hot for liquid sulfur to sit on, leaving patches where the dark lava is still visible. North is to the top of the image and the Sun illuminates the surface from the upper right. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
|
Mosaic of Jupit
…
PIA00831
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (Violet Filter) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Great Red Spot of Jupiter as seen through the violet (404 nm) filter of the Galileo imaging system. The image is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. The mosaic was taken over a 75 second interval beginning at universal time 4 hours, 18 minutes, 8 seconds on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles. The Red Spot is not unique, but is simply the largest of a class of long-lived vortices, some of which are visible in the lower part of the image. The range is 1.76 million kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Mosaic of Jupit
…
PIA00830
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (in the near infrared) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Great Red Spot of Jupiter as seen through the near-infrared (756 nm) filter of the Galileo imaging system. The image, taken approximately 10 hours after the first mosaic of the Great Red Spot, is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. The mosaic was taken over an 80 second interval beginning at universal time 14 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds, on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles. The Red Spot is not unique, but is simply the largest of a class of long-lived vortices, some of which are visible in the lower part of the image. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Mosaic of Jupit
…
PIA00833
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (Methane Filter) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Great Red Spot of Jupiter as seen through the methane (886 nm) filter of the Galileo imaging system. The image is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. The mosaic was taken over a 76 second interval beginning at universal time 14 hours, 33 minutes, 22 seconds, on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles. The Red Spot is not unique, but is simply the largest of a class of long-lived vortices, some of which are visible in the lower part of the image. The range is 1.46 million kilometers. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA s Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Mosaic of Jupit
…
PIA00829
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Mosaic of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (in the near infrared) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Great Red Spot of Jupiter as seen through the near-infrared (756 nm) filter of the Galileo imaging system. The image is a mosaic of six images that have been map-projected to a uniform grid of latitude and longitude. North is at the top. The mosaic was taken over an 80 second interval beginning at universal time 4 hours, 19 minutes, 40 seconds, on June 26, 1996. The Red Spot is 20,000 km long and has been followed by observers on Earth since the telescope was invented 300 years ago. It is a huge storm made visible by variations in the composition of the cloud particles. The Red Spot is not unique, but is simply the largest of a class of long-lived vortices, some of which are visible in the lower part of the image. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
NIMS Observes E
…
PIA00847
Sol (our sun)
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
NIMS Observes Europa's Shadow |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This isn't a black hole! During the G7 encounter, the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on the Galileo spacecraft observed the shadow of Europa on the clouds of Jupiter during Galileo's fourth orbit. The bright spot in the clouds is an atmospheric hot spot. Galileo was 817,000 km (510,000 miles) away from Jupiter when this image was taken. The shadow of Europa falls partly on a hot spot in the clouds of Jupiter, near 7 degrees N, 325 W. The shadow of Europa is approximately 3100 km across. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Europa Imaging
…
PIA01407
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Europa Imaging Highlights during GEM |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
"freckles". Are these freckle features formed by icy volcanism? Is this an early form of a triple band? Stereo and high resolution (to 46 meters per picture element) obtained during Galileo's eighteenth orbit of Jupiter may indicate whether the lineament is the result of volcanic processes or is formed by other surface processes. 8. During Galileo's nineteenth orbit of Jupiter, images of Europa will be taken with very low sun illuminations, similar to taking a picture at sunset or sunrise. The object will be to search for backlit plumes issuing from icy volcanic vents. Such plumes would be direct evidence of a liquid ocean beneath the ice. Resolutions will be as high as 40 meters per picture element. This picture was simulated image from Galileo data obtained during the spacecraft's second orbit of Jupiter in September 1996. North is to the top of the pictures. During orbit 13, the Galileo spacecraft was behind the sun from our vantage point on Earth so it did not obtain or transmit data from that orbit. The left two images in the bottom row were obtained by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1979, the remaining images were obtained by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 1996. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo, During the two year Galileo Europa Mission (GEM), NASA's Galileo spacecraft will focus intensively on Jupiter's intriguing moon, Europa. This montage shows samples of some of the features that will be imaged during eight successive orbits. The images in this montage are in order of increasing orbit from the upper left (orbit 11) to the lower right (orbit 19). DESCRIPTIONS AND APPROXIMATE RESOLUTIONS 1. Triple bands and dark spots were the focus of some images from Galileo's eleventh orbit of Jupiter. Triple bands are multiple ridges with dark deposits along the outer margins. Some extend for thousands of kilometers across Europa's icy surface. They are cracks in the ice sheet and indicate the great stresses imposed on Europa by tides raised by Jupiter, as well as Europa's neighboring moons, Ganymede and Io. The dark spots or "lenticulae" are spots of localized disruption. 2. The Conamara Chaos region reveals icy plates which have broken up, moved, and rafted into new positions. This terrain suggests that liquid water or ductile ice was present near the surface. On Galileo's twelfth orbit of Jupiter, sections of this region with resolutions as high as 10 meters per picture element will be obtained. 3. Mannann'an Crater is a feature newly discovered by Galileo in June 1996. Color and high resolution images (to 40 meters per picture element) from Galileo's fourteenth orbit of Jupiter will offer a close look at the crater and help characterize how impacts affect the icy surface of this moon. 4. Cilix, a large mound about 1.5 kilometers high, is the center of Europa's coordinate system. Its concave top and what may be flow like features to the southwest of the mound are especially intriguing. The origin of this feature is unknown at present. Color, stereo, and high resolution images (to 65 meters per picture element) from Galileo's fifteenth orbit of Jupiter will offer new insights and resolve questions about its origin. 5. Images of Agenor Linea (white arrow) and Thrace Macula (black arrow) with resolutions as high as 30 meters per picture element will be obtained during Galileo's sixteenth orbit of Jupiter. Agenor is an unusually bright lineament on Europa. Is the brightness due to new ice, and if so, does it represent recent activity? Could the dark region of Thrace Macula be a flow from ice volcanism? 6. Images of Europa's south polar terrain obtained during Galileo's seventeenth orbit of Jupiter will offer insights into the processes which are active in this region. Is the ice crust thicker near Europa's poles than near the equator? The prominent dark line running from upper left to lower right through the center of this image is Astypalaea Linea. It is a fault about the length of the San Andreas fault in California and is the largest such fault known on Europa. Images with resolutions of 48 meters per picture element will be obtained to examine its geologic structure. 7. This long lineament, Rhadamanthys Linea. is spotted with dark |
|
Scale Compariso
…
| Title |
Scale Comparison of the Inner Small Satellites of Jupiter |
| Description |
These are the best images of the small inner satellites of Jupiter taken by the solid state imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. From left to right and in order of decreasing distance to Jupiter are Thebe, Amalthea, Adrastea, and Metis, shown at the same scale as Long Island which is 190 kilometers long. Since these satellites are so small, their surface gravities are very low: a person weighing 150 pounds on Earth would weigh about 1 pound on Amalthea, and about an ounce on Adrastea. Large craters 35 to 90 kilometers (20 to 55 miles) across which are the result of impacts by fragments asteroid and comet debris are conspicuous on the surface of the larger satellites. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
| Date |
09.15.1998 |
|
View of Callist
…
PIA01055
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
View of Callisto from Voyager and Galileo |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
View of Callisto, most distant of the four large moons of Jupiter. This mosaic was prepared from images obtained by three spacecraft: Voyager 1 (left side), Galileo (middle), and Voyager 2 data (right side). The Voyager data were taken in 1979 but left a "gap" centered at longitude 290 degrees in the trailing hemisphere of Callisto. The Galileo Solid-State Imaging system photographed this area on its second orbit around Jupiter on 9 September, 1996 Universal Time. The resolution of the Galileo data is 4.3 kilometers/pixel (2.7 miles), meaning that the smallest visible feature is about 12 kilometers (7 miles) across. North is to the top of the picture. Features of interest in the new Galileo data include a dark, smooth area in the northern latitudes (upper third) which appears to mantle older terrain. This could be dark ejecta from a small impact crater. Also visible is a fresh, sharp-rimmed crater some 90 km (56 miles) across named Igaluk (center left third of picture), and a bright zone in the south polar area (bottom of image) which could be an impact scar. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Galileo Resolut
…
PIA00722
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Galileo Resolutions: Ganymede and the San Francisco Bay Area |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These frames demonstrate the dramatic improvement in the resolution of pictures that NASA's Galileo spacecraft is returning compared to previous images of the Jupiter system. The spacecraft's many orbits allow numerous close flyby's of Jupiter and its moons. The top left frame shows the best resolution (1.3 kilometers per picture element or pixel) data of the Uruk Sulcus region on Jupiter's moon Ganymede which was available after the 1979 flyby of the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The top right frame shows the same area as captured by Galileo during its closer flyby of Ganymede on June 27, 1996 at a range of 7,448 kilometers (4.628 miles). For comparison, the bottom frames show images of the San Francisco Bay area trimmed to the size of the Ganymede images and adjusted to similar resolutions. The Galileo image of Uruk Sulcus has a resolution of about 74 meters per pixel. The area shown is about 35 by 55 kilometers (25 by 34 miles). North is to the top, and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left. The image taken by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system reveals details of the structure and shape of the ridges which permit scientists to determine their origin and their relation to other terrains. These new views are helping to unravel the complex history of this planet-sized moon. The left SF Bay area image is from an image obtained by an Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer aboard an NOAA satellite. The right SF Bay area image is from a LandSat Thematic Mapper. Golden Gate Park is clearly visible as a narrow dark rectangle towards the middle of this image. Both images were trimmed and adjusted to resolutions similar to the Ganymede images. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Global Images o
…
PIA00728
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Global Images of Earth |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Global images of Earth from Galileo. In each frame, the continent of Antarctica is visible at the bottom of the globe. South America may be seen in the first frame (top left), the great Pacific Ocean in the second (bottom left), India at the top and Australia to the right in the third (top right), and Africa in the fourth (bottom right). Taken at six-hour intervals on December 11, 1990, at a range of between 2 and 2.7 million kilometers (1.2 to 1.7 million miles). P-37630 These images were taken during Galileo's first Earth flyby. This gravity assist increased Galileo's speed around the Sun by about 5.2 kilometers per second (or 11,600 miles per hour) and substantially redirected Galileo as required for its flybys of the asteroid Gaspra in October 1991 and Earth in 1992. Galileo's closest approach (960 kilometers, or 597 miles, above the Earth's surface) to the Earth was on December 8, 1990, 3 days before these pictures were taken. Each of these images is a color composite, made up using images taken through red, green, and violet filters. The four images are part of the Galileo Earth spin movie, a 256-frame time-lapse motion picture that shows a 25-hour period of Earth's rotation and atmospheric dynamics. The movie gives scientists a unique overall view of global weather patterns, as opposed to the limited view of weather satellite images. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA'is Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
|
Io in front of
…
PIA00494
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io in front of Jupiter |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system, is seen in front of Jupiter's cloudy atmosphere in this image from NASA's Galileo spacecraft, now orbiting the giant planet. This newly processed image is the best and highest resolution view of Io produced thus far by Galileo. Galileo was about 487,000 kilometers (about 302,000 miles) from Io when this was taken on September 7, 1996, and Jupiter was about 908,000 kilometers (about 564,000 miles) away. The image is centered on the side of Io that always faces away from Jupiter. The color in the image is composed of data taken in the near-infrared, green and violet filters of Galileo's solid-state imaging camera, and has been enhanced to emphasize the extraordinary variations in color and brightness that characterize Io's volcano-pocked face. The black and bright red materials correspond to the most recent volcanic deposits, probably no more than a few years old. The near-infrared filter makes Jupiter's atmosphere look blue. The active volcano Prometheus is seen near the right-center of the disk. Scientists are noting many changes that have occurred on Io's surface since the Voyager flybys 17 years ago, and even a few changes in the two months since Galileo's imaging of Io this summer. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http:// www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Changing volcan
…
PIA00495
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Changing volcanoes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io are compared in these images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft (right) taken in early September of this year, and from the Voyager spacecraft (left) taken in 1979. Prometheus (bright ring in upper right) was first seen as an erupting volcano by the Voyager spacecraft and still features an active plume. A smaller active plume was discovered at the volcano Culann Patera (dark feature at lower left) by the Galileo spacecraft. Prometheus has displayed similar characteristics such as size, shape and brightness to Galileo's cameras as it did to Voyager's. However, several intriguing differences are also apparent. There appears to be a new dark lava flow emanating from the vent of Prometheus, and the plume is now erupting from a position about 75 kilometers (46.5 miles) west from where the hot spot resided in 1979. It is not known if the plume source is the same or if the plume is now emanating from a new source. Overall, scientists studying Galileo images of Io see that a wide variety of surface changes have occurred on Io since 1979. The Galileo image was taken at a range of about 487,000 kilometers (about 302,000 miles) from Io. The Voyager image was taken from about 800,000 kilometers (about 500,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http:// www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Highly Fracture
…
PIA01616
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Highly Fractured Dark and Bright Terrain |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
View of a boundary between bright and dark terrain at the southern border of Galileo Regio on Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. A narrow, 15 kilometer wide, band of fractured bright terrain runs from the upper left to lower right of this image. The dark terrain on either side of this band of bright terrain has been highly fractured in multiple directions by tectonic activity. The large bright circular feature in the upper right is probably an impact crater that has been topographically relaxed, perhaps indicating that the subsurface was warm in this region at some point in its history before the formation of the bright terrain. Such images help determine how the ancient dark terrain on Ganymede was converted into younger bright terrain. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from nearly overhead. The image, centered at 7 degrees latitude and 157 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 81 by 58 kilometers. The resolution is 160 meters per picture element. The image was taken on May 7, 1997 at 15 hours, 21 minutes, 16 seconds Universal Time at a range of 16218 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://www.jpl.nasa. gov/galileo ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/ /www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
|
Active Volcanic
…
PIA01069
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Active Volcanic Eruptions on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Six views of the volcanic plume named Prometheus, as seen against Io's disk and near the bright limb (edge) of the satellite by the SSI camera on the Galileo spacecraft during its second (G2) orbit of Jupiter. North is to the top of each frame. To the south-southeast of Prometheus is another bright spot that appears to be an active plume erupting from a feature named Culann Patera. Prometheus was active 17 years ago during both Voyager flybys, but no activity was detected by Voyager at Culann. Both of these plumes were seen to glow in the dark in an eclipse image acquired by the imaging camera during Galileo's first (G1) orbit, and hot spots at these locations were detected by Galileo's Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer. The plumes are thought to be driven by heating sulfur dioxide in Io's subsurface into an expanding fluid or "geyser". The long-lived nature of these eruptions requires that a substantial supply of sulfur dioxide must be available in Io's subsurface, similar to groundwater. Sulfur dioxide gas condenses into small particles of "snow" in the expanding plume, and the small particles scatter light and appear bright at short wavelengths. The images shown here were acquired through the shortest-wavelength filter (violet) of the Galileo camera. Prometheus is about 300 km wide and 75 km high and Culann is about 150 km wide and less than 50 km high. The images were acquired on September 4, 1996 at a range of 2,000,000 km (20 km/pixel resolution). Prometheus is named after the Greek fire god and Culann is named after the Celtic smith god. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
A Polar Crater
…
PIA01057
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
A Polar Crater on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This circular 36 kilometer (22 mile) diameter impact crater near the north pole of Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a floor that is partially brightened. On September 6, 1996, NASA's Galileo spacecraft obtained images of an 18 kilometer (11 miles) wide swath through this area. The Galileo data, acquired at a resolution of 46 meters (151 feet) pixel (picture element), is shown overlain on data obtained by NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979. In Voyager data the crater was thought to be flooded by icy volcanism, but in Galileo data it is seen to be brightened by frost deposition. The Voyager data, taken at a resolution of 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per pixel, shows a circular feature with a bright deposit on the northern half of its floor. North is toward the top of the picture. Illumination in the image is from the southeast, and frost appears to be collecting on north facing slopes of ridges and crater rims. Fractures cross the floor of the large crater, and the northeastern rim displays two large blocks of ice which have collapsed off the side of the steep crater wall. The Galileo images were taken by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system at a range of about 2243 kilometers (1391 miles) from the surface of Ganymede. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
|
Jupiter Equator
…
PIA00604
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Jupiter Equatorial Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This photographic mosaic of images from NASA's Galileo spacecraft covers an area of 34,000 kilometers by 22,000 kilometers (about 21,100 by 13,600 miles) in Jupiter's equatorial region. The dark region near the center of the mosaic is an equatorial "hotspot" similar to the site where the Galileo Probe parachuted into Jupiter's atmosphere in December 1995. These features are holes in the bright, reflective, equatorial cloud layer where heat from Jupiter's deep atmosphere can pass through. The circulation patterns observed here along with the composition measurements from the Galileo Probe suggest that dry air may be converging and sinking over these regions, maintaining their cloud-free appearance. The bright oval in the upper right of the mosaic as well as the other smaller bright features are examples of upwelling of moist air and condensation. These images were taken on December 17, 1996, at a range of 1.5 million kilometers (about 930,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging camera system aboard Galileo. North is at the top. The mosaic covers latitudes 1 to 19 degrees and is centered at longitude 336 degrees west. The smallest resolved features are tens of kilometers in size. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at: http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at: http:/ /www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo. |
|
Beneath Jupiter
…
| Title |
Beneath Jupiter's Clouds |
| Explanation |
This near-infrared image of Jupiter [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/irtf.html ] was made using instrumentation at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, located on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951216.html ], in support of the Galileo mission to Jupiter [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/index.html ]. The brightest spots indicated by the false red shading are relatively clear areas and represent glimpses beneath the outer layer of Jupiter's obscuring cloud tops [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951206.html ]. On December 7, 1995 a probe from the Galileo spacecraft [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951208.html ] parachuted through these clouds for 57 minutes before melting, all the while providing the first direct sampling of the conditions there. In a recent press release [ http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/status960122.html ] of the probe's findings scientists announced some surprising results. Discoveries based on probe data [ http://ccf.arc.nasa.gov/dx/basket/storiesetc/PROB1_22.html ] included a new radiation belt 31,000 miles above the cloud tops, relatively constant high velocity winds (up to 330 mph), no obvious water clouds, low abundances of Helium and Neon, lightning occurring only 1/10th as much as on Earth, and unexpectedly high temperatures. The Galileo orbiter [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/countdown/index.html ] continues its two-year mission to explore the Jovian system [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/jupiter.html ]. |
|
Lava Fountain o
…
| Title |
Lava Fountain on Jupiter's Io |
| Explanation |
A lava fountain shooting over a kilometer high has been discovered [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02525 ] on Jupiter [ http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/welcome/jupiter.htm ]'s moon Io [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/io.html ]. The robot Galileo spacecraft [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/spacecraft.html ] orbiting Jupiter [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/jupiter.htm ] photographed the volcanic eruption during its close flyby of the moon late last month [ http://www.spacescience.com/newhome/headlines/ast28nov99_1.htm ]. The fountain [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970623.html ] is visible in the above [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02525 ] mosaic of images from the flyby [ http://IoFlyby.com/ ]. The lava [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991126.html ] plume [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970818.html ] was so bright it saturated Galileo's camera, and so has been digitally reconstructed in false color. The hot lava appears to be shooting from a 20-kilometer long canyon on Io's active surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990920.html ]. |
|
Nine Datasets o
…
| Title |
Nine Datasets on a Single Globe with Wipe Between Different Datasets Run as a Continuous Two Minute Loop |
| Abstract |
Single globe with wipe between different datasets run as a continuous 2 minute loop. Sequence: Galileo, radiant energy (Globe), vegetation index anomalies, temperature (globe), fires, aerosols (TOMS), clouds (GOES 9 & 10, Meteosat, and GMS-5), methane (UARS), water vapor (GOES 9 & 10, Meteosat, and GMS-5), biosphere (SeaStar/SeaWiFS), Galileo |
| Completed |
1999-11-10 |
|
Close-up of Pro
…
PIA02505
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Close-up of Prometheus, Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
-1999) and NASA's Voyager spacecraft (1979). No other volcano on Io has been so stable in its behavior. However, between the Voyager flybys and the time of Galileo's arrival at Jupiter, the source of the plume has shifted about 70 kilometers (44 miles) to the west. This false color close-up was taken of Prometheus using the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly greater than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera and processed to enhance subtle color variations. The long-lived plume has produced a ring-like deposit of bright white and yellow material that is likely to be rich in sulfur dioxide frost. Also note the denser jets in the plume that point like spokes to its source. Galileo scientists do not yet know whether this long-lived plume is erupting from a vent at the west end of the lava flow, or if the plume is being produced by the advancing lava as it flows over ground rich in sulfur dioxide. Galileo will acquire black and white images of the Prometheus at resolutions between 35 to 70 meters (120 to 230 feet) per picture element and color images at resolutions of about 230 meters (750 feet) per picture element during its close flyby of Jupiter's moon Io on the evening of October 10, 1999 (Pacific time). These images will be important in understanding how volcanic plumes form on Io. In particular, we are interested in seeing if the plume material is escaping from Io's interior or from the surface at the front of active lava flows. These new images may help explain why Prometheus has been so faithfully active. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topography is visible here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and rugged areas over parts of Io. The image is centered at 2 degrees south latitude and 154 degrees west longitude. The images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's camera and have a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 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 World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., The volcano called Prometheus, found on Jupiter's moon Io, could be called the Old Faithful of the outer solar system, because its volcanic plume has been visible every time it has been observed since 1979. This particular image, one of the highest-resolution pictures ever taken of Io, was obtained by NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it approached Io on July 3, 1999. The volcanic plume of Prometheus has been visible during observations by Galileo (1996 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00495 ] |
|
Close-up of Pro
…
PIA02505
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Close-up of Prometheus, Io (color) |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
-1999) and NASA's Voyager spacecraft (1979). No other volcano on Io has been so stable in its behavior. However, between the Voyager flybys and the time of Galileo's arrival at Jupiter, the source of the plume has shifted about 70 kilometers (44 miles) to the west. This false color close-up was taken of Prometheus using the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly greater than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera and processed to enhance subtle color variations. The long-lived plume has produced a ring-like deposit of bright white and yellow material that is likely to be rich in sulfur dioxide frost. Also note the denser jets in the plume that point like spokes to its source. Galileo scientists do not yet know whether this long-lived plume is erupting from a vent at the west end of the lava flow, or if the plume is being produced by the advancing lava as it flows over ground rich in sulfur dioxide. Galileo will acquire black and white images of the Prometheus at resolutions between 35 to 70 meters (120 to 230 feet) per picture element and color images at resolutions of about 230 meters (750 feet) per picture element during its close flyby of Jupiter's moon Io on the evening of October 10, 1999 (Pacific time). These images will be important in understanding how volcanic plumes form on Io. In particular, we are interested in seeing if the plume material is escaping from Io's interior or from the surface at the front of active lava flows. These new images may help explain why Prometheus has been so faithfully active. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from almost directly behind the spacecraft. This illumination is good for imaging color variations, but poor for imaging topographic shading. However, some topography is visible here due to the combination of relatively high resolution (1.3 kilometers or 0.8 miles per picture element) and rugged areas over parts of Io. The image is centered at 2 degrees south latitude and 154 degrees west longitude. The images were taken at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by Galileo's camera and have a resolution of 1.3 kilometers or 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 World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]., The volcano called Prometheus, found on Jupiter's moon Io, could be called the Old Faithful of the outer solar system, because its volcanic plume has been visible every time it has been observed since 1979. This particular image, one of the highest-resolution pictures ever taken of Io, was obtained by NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it approached Io on July 3, 1999. The volcanic plume of Prometheus has been visible during observations by Galileo (1996 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00495 ] |
|
Parachute Test
| title |
Parachute Test |
| date |
04.18.1983 |
| description |
A parachute for the Galileo spacecraft's atmospheric entry probe is tested in a wind tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia. Galileo consisted of an orbiter and an atmosphere probe that descended into Jupiter's atmosphere on a parachute after being slowed down by a heat shield. The probe entered Jupiter's atmosphere on Dec. 7, 1995. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Galileo Diagram
…
| title |
Galileo Diagram (Unlabeled) |
| description |
A line drawing of the Galileo spacecraft. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Galileo Diagram
…
| title |
Galileo Diagram (Labeled) |
| description |
This diagram of the Galileo spacecraft shows the equipment and instruments the spacecraft carried to Jupiter. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Leaving Earth O
…
| title |
Leaving Earth Orbit |
| description |
The Galileo spacecraft atop its two-stage Inertial Upper Stage has just been released from the space shuttle in this artist's rendering. Galileo was launched to Jupiter in October 1989 from the Space Shuttle Atlantis. *Image Credit*: NASA |
|
Galileo at Io
| title |
Galileo at Io |
| date |
05.03.1996 |
| description |
Galileo spacecraft found Jupiter's volcanic moon Io has a huge iron core that takes up half its diameter. The spacecraft's 899-kilometer (559-mile) flyby of Io on December 7, 1995 is depicted in this computer graphic. *Image Credit:* NASA |
|
Interior of Cal
…
PIA01131
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Interior of Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Cutaway view of the possible internal structure of Callisto. The surface of the satellite is a mosaic of images obtained in 1979 by NASA's Voyager spacecraft. The interior characteristics are inferred from gravity field and magnetic field measurements by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Callisto's radius is 2403 km, larger than our Moon's radius. Callisto's interior is shown as a relatively uniform mixture of comparable amounts of ice and rock. The surface layer of Callisto is shown as white to indicate that it may differ from the underlying ice/rock layer in a variety of ways including, for example, the percentage of rock it contains. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo. |
|
Callisto's Sout
…
PIA01079
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
Callisto's Southern Hemisphere as Viewed by NIMS & SSI |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Callisto's southern hemisphere was "imaged" by both the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) and the Solid State Imaging (SSI) instrument during Galileo's eighth orbit of Jupiter. The data from the two instruments has been mosaiced to produce this unique view. Related releases and detailed captions are available for theNIMS [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01078 ] andSSI [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01077 ] products. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo. |
|
Interior of Io
PIA01129
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Interior of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Cutaway view of the possible internal structure of Io The surface of the satellite is a mosaic of images obtained in 1979 by NASA's Voyager spacecraft The interior characteristics are inferred from gravity field and magnetic field measurements by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Io's radius is 1821 km, similar to the 1738 km radius of our Moon, Io has a metallic (iron, nickel) core (shown in gray) drawn to the correct relative size. The core is surrounded by a rock shell (shown in brown). Io's rock or silicate shell extends to the surface. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ galileo. |
|
Earth - Departi
…
PIA00232
Sol (our sun)
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Earth - Departing Image by Galileo |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This color image of the Earth was taken by the Galileo spacecraft on December 11 as it departed on its 3-year flight to Jupiter, about 2 1/2 days after the second Earth flyby. The distance to Earth is about 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles). Antarctica is visible at the bottom of the image, and dawn is rising over the Pacific Ocean. The Galileo project, whose primary mission is the exploration of the Jupiter system in 1995-97, is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
|
Ganymede - Dark
…
PIA00278
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede - Dark Terrain in Galileo Regio |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This view of a part of the Galileo Regio region on Jupiter's moon Ganymede shows fine details of the dark terrain that makes up about half of the surface of the planet-sized moon. One of many ancient impact craters in the region is visible at the middle left. The crater is cut by numerous fractures, showing that the ancient crust was highly deformed early in Ganymede's history. Dark areas may have originated from dark material thrown off by dark meteorites hitting the surface in thousands of impact events. In this view, north is to the top and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower left about 58 degrees above the horizon. The area shown, at latitude 19 degrees north, longitude 149 degrees west, is about 19 by 26 kilometers (12 by 16 miles), resolution is about 80 meters (262 feet) per pixel. The image was taken June 27 at a range of 7.652 kilometers (4,755 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
|
Early View of D
…
PIA00299
Ida
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Early View of Dactyl |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image is a closeup of the newly discovered moon of the asteroid Ida, provisionally designated '1993 (243) 1.' This is a magnified, processed version of the single view of the natural satellite transmitted so far by the Galileo spacecraft to Earth. Only 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) across in this view, the overall shape, size, rotation and orbital motion of the natural satellite are still unknown. The sun's illumination is coming from the upper right. The black 'gouge' in the body's shape toward the lower left is probably more apparent than real and is mostly a part of the shadowed night side of the little moon. A rugged landscape, including one or two craters, appears to be present, although the smallest features that can be detected in this picture are about 1/7th the diameter of the natural satellite. This picture was taken by Galileo during its flyby of Ida on August 28, 1993. Later in the spring of 1994, scientists hope to receive other views of Ida's moon which are currently stored on Galileo's onboard tape recorder, one of those images is expected to be at least three times sharper than this one. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Galileo Project for NASA's Office of Space Science. |
|
Galileo spacecr
…
| Title |
Galileo spacecraft, an STS-34 payload, is processed at KSC's SAEF-2 |
| Description |
Galileo spacecraft, an STS-34 Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, payload, is lifted onto its workstand at Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2) as clean-suited technicians look on. Galileo is a spacecraft that will be launched aboard the space shuttle and sent into orbit around the planet Jupiter. The entire Galileo assembly includes a 5870-pound spacecraft, a planetary probe (which arrived last month) and an inertial upper stage (IUS) booster. Galileo is scheduled for launch aboard OV-104 on STS-34 in October 1989. View provided by KSC with alternate number KSC-89PC-572. |
| Date Taken |
1989-06-08 |
|
STS-34 Galileo
…
| Title |
STS-34 Galileo processing at KSC's SAEF-2 planetary spacecraft facility |
| Description |
At the Kennedy Space Center's (KSC's) Spacecraft and Assembly Encapsulation Facility 2 (SAEF-2), the planetary spacecraft checkout facility, clean-suited technicians lower Galileo probe descent module encased in the deceleration module aft cover and deceleration module aeroshell into test stand via overhead crane. Galileo is scheduled for launch aboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, on Space Shuttle Mission STS-34 in October 1989. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) manages the Galileo project. |
| Date Taken |
1989-09-27 |
|
Up Close to Jup
…
| Title |
Up Close to Jupiter's Moon Io |
| Explanation |
Above is the highest resolution photograph [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02556 ] yet taken of the Solar System [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/overview.html ]'s strangest moon. The surface of Jupiter [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/jupiter.htm ]'s moon Io [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/moons/io.html ] is home to violent volcanoes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000606.html ] that are so active they turn the entire moon inside out. The above photograph [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02556 ] shows a region four kilometers across and resolves features only five meters [ http://www.twenj.com/measures.htm ] across. Many revealed details are not well understood. In general, the bright areas are higher terrain than the darker areas, but some areas of the surface appear eroded [ http://www.qub.ac.uk/geosci/teaching/postgrad/workshop1/erosion1.html ] by an unknown process. Although the parts of Io's surface [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970321.html ] near erupting volcanoes are hot enough to melt rock, most of Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990920.html ] has cooled well below the freezing point of water [ http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/water/info_water.html ]. The robot spacecraft Galileo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/overview.html ] during its most recent flyby [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/release/press000531.html ] of Io [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/io.html ] took the above image in 2000 February. |
|
Io in True Colo
…
| Title |
Io in True Color |
| Explanation |
The strangest moon in the Solar System [ http://www.nineplanets.org/overview.html ] is bright yellow. This picture [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/PIAGenCatalogPage.pl?PIA02308 ], showing Io's true colors, was taken in 1999 July by the Galileo spacecraft [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/spacecraft.html ] currently orbiting Jupiter. Io's colors derive from sulfur [ http://chemlab.pc.maricopa.edu/periodic/S.html ] and molten silicate rock [ http://www.windows.ucar.edu/cgi- bin/tour_def/glossary/silicate_rock.html ]. The unusual surface of Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961029.html] is kept very young by its system of active volcanoes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960805.html ]. The intense tidal gravity [ http://www.clupeid.demon.co.uk/tides/simple.html ] of Jupiter [ http://www.solarviews.com/eng/jupiter.htm ] stretches Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981016.html ] and damps wobbles caused by Jupiter's other Galilean moons [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ganymede/discovery.html ]. The resulting friction [ http://www.pa.uky.edu/~phy211/Friction_book.html ] greatly heats Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980706.html ]'s interior, causing molten rock [ http://cmex.arc.nasa.gov/data/catalog/VolcanismOnMars/MoltenRock.html ] to explode through the surface. Io's volcanoes [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000606.html ] are so active that they are effectively turning the whole moon inside out. Some of Io [ http://www.nineplanets.org/io.html ]'s volcanic lava is so hot it glows in the dark [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph- bib_query?bibcode=1998Icar..135..181M ]. |
|
Crater Tindr on
…
PIA01657
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Crater Tindr on Callisto - an oblique impact? |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This single-frame image shows crater Tindr on Jupiter's satellite Callisto, the moon with the oldest surface of the four so-called "Galilean" satellites (of which Callisto is also most distant from Jupiter). The diameter of this impact feature is about 70 km (43.5 miles). Tindris situated close to Callisto's equator at a longitude of about 5 degrees East. The image was obtained in September 1997 with the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which has been orbiting the Solar System's largest planet since December 1995. Shadows are long and accentuate morphology on the surface, because the image was taken under low sun illumination. The image was captured from a distance of about 40,000 km(25,000 miles) during Galileo's 10th orbit around Jupiter. The resolution is about 390 m/pixel, the smallest features that are still discernible are about 780 m across. The sun illuminates the scene from the left. North is pointing towards the top of the image. The image covers an area approximately 150 x 150 km. Tindr is slightly irregular in shape. This could be the consequence of an oblique impact. Along its eastern and southeastern part, the rim appears degraded, only isolated hills or hill chains are still visible. The floor shows numerous irregular pits, features that are found in some other Callistoan craters and also in Callisto's dark cratered plains. These features are believed to be caused by sublimation of subsurface volatiles. Subradial streaks outside the crater rim are due to impact debris creating secondary craters some distance away from Tindr. Continuous ejecta covers several older craters, especially in the northeastern part of the scene. The Tindr ejecta merge into surrounding cratered plains without a distinct morphologic or albedo boundary. Apparently the dark material blanketing Callisto's surface globally was emplaced after Tindr had formed. Absolute ages derived from measured crater densities are model-dependent. In one crater chronology model, based on impacts dominated by asteroids, Tindr may be an old feature, about 3.9 billion years old, pointing back in time into a period of more intense bombardment than today. In another model, based on impacts preferentially by comets with a more or less constant impact rate, Tindr can be much younger, about 1 billion years old. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
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A Chain of Impa
…
PIA00514
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
A Chain of Impact Craters on Callisto |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A portion of a chain of impact craters on Jupiter's moon Callisto is seen in this image taken by the Galileo spacecraft on November 4, 1996. This crater chain on Callisto is believed to result from the impact of a split object, similar to the fragments of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 which smashed into Jupiter's atmosphere in July of 1994. This high-resolution view, taken by Galileo's solid state imaging television camera during its third orbit around Jupiter, is of Callisto's northern hemisphere at 35 degrees north, 46 degrees west, and covers an area of about eight miles (13 kilometers) across. The smallest visible crater is about 140 yards (130 meters) across. The image was taken at a range of 974 miles (1,567 kilometers). On a global scale, Callisto is heavily cratered, indicating the great age of its surface. At the scale of this image, it was anticipated that the surface would be heavily cratered as well, however, there is a surprising lack of small craters, suggesting that one or more processes have obliterated these and other small-scale features. For example, downslope movement of ice-rich debris could bury small craters. The bright slopes visible in this picture represent places where downslope movement has taken place, exposing fresh ice surfaces. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/ [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/ ]. |
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Callisto's Valh
…
PIA00516
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Callisto's Valhalla impact structure |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
A portion of the central zone of the large impact structure Valhalla on Jupiter's moon Callisto was imaged by the Galileo spacecraft on November 4, 1996. The area shown here is centered at 16 degrees north, 55 degrees west and is about seven miles (11 kilometers) across. This is the highest resolution picture ever taken of Callisto and shows features as small as 200 feet (60 meters) across. The formation of Valhalla occurred early in Callisto's history, however, the central zone shown here is probably younger than Valhalla's surrounding structure. This newly acquired picture shows some small craters, although they have been softened or modified by downslope movement of debris, revealing bright ice-rich surfaces. In contrast to other areas on Callisto, most of the very smallest craters appear to have been completely obliterated. This image was taken by the solid state imaging television camera onboard the Galileo spacecraft during its third orbit around Jupiter, at a distance of 757 miles (1,219 kilometers). The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/ ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/ [ http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/ ]. |
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A New Hot Spot
…
PIA03602
Jupiter
Near Infrared M
…
| Title |
A New Hot Spot on Northern Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
NASA's Galileo spacecraft has returned infrared imagery of a new hot spot on Jupiter's moon Io that was the source of a towering plume in August 2001, indicating a sulfur-dioxide concentration that may have been fallout from the plume. Galileo's near-infrared mapping spectrometer captured the image on the left during an Oct. 16, 2001 flyby of Io. Coloring indicates the intensity of glowing at a wavelength of 4.1 microns. Yellow, red, and white represent high temperatures. Black is where the near-infrared glow was so intense the image was saturated. Greens and blues are cold. The visible-light image on the right was obtained by Galileo's camera in 1999, before any volcanic activity was seen at this site. The first sign of activity came in August 2001, when Galileo detected an infrared hot spot and the tallest volcanic plume ever seen at Io. The dark blue band north of the hot spot in the new infrared image represents a concentration of sulfur-dioxide, which has a strong signature in the infrared. The sulfur-dioxide is thought to be from the fallout of the plume. The image shows high temperatures corresponding to yellow flows in the center of the visible-light image, and from a small caldera at the 8 o'lock position. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Tall Mountain,
…
PIA03600
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Tall Mountain, Tohil Mons, on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Dramatic shadows across a mountainous landscape on Jupiter's moon Io reveal details of the topography around a peak named Tohil Mons in this mosaic created from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in October 2001. Tohil Mons rises 5.4 kilometers (18,000 feet) above Io's surface, according to analysis of stereo imaging [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA02586 ] from earlier Galileo flybys of Io. The new images, with a resolution of 327 meters (1,070 feet) per picture element, were taken when the Sun was low in the sky, producing informative shadows. North is to the top and the Sun illuminates the surface from the upper right. The topographic features revealed include a very straight ridge extending southwest from the peak, 500- to 850-meter-high (1,640- to 2,790-foot-high) cliffs to the northwest and a curious pit immediately east of the peak. Major questions remain about how Io's mountains form and how they are related to Io's ubiquitous volcanoes. Although Io is extremely active volcanically, few of its mountains appear to be volcanoes. However, two volcanic craters do lie directly to the northeast of Tohil's peak, a smaller dark-floored one and a larger one at the very edge of the mosaic. Furthermore, the shape of the pit directly east of the peak suggests a volcanic origin. Galileo scientists will use these images to investigate the geologic history of Tohil Mons and its relationship to the neighboring volcanic features. The image is centered at 28 degrees south latitude and 161 degrees west longitude. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Io's Gish Bar V
…
PIA03888
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io's Gish Bar Volcanic Region in Infrared |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
An infrared thermal map and a visible-light image from NASA's Galileo spacecraft show the likelihood of an active lava lake at a volcanic feature called Gish Bar on Jupiter's moon Io. Galileo observed the Gish Bar region with the spacecraft's near-infrared mapping spectrometer instrument in August 2001 (right) and with its solid-state imaging camera in October 2001 (left). Comparison of the camera image with the infrared thermal map and with earlier images, (see PIA03884 [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03884 ]) suggests that a new eruption took place shortly before the October 2001 flyby. The darkest areas in the visible-light image are interpreted as the youngest lava flows, but they do not correspond with the hottest areas in the infrared thermal map from two months earlier. Outlines of the areas that were identified as hotter than 350 degrees Kelvin (170 degrees Fahrenheit) in the thermal map are superimposed on the visible-light image. North is toward the top. The dark flow on the western side of the crater in October corresponds to a cool area in the earlier thermal map, indicating that the flow took place between the time Galileo flew by in August and the time it flew by in October. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about Galileo and its discoveries is available on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/io.cfm ]. |
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Model of Europa
…
PIA01669
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Model of Europa's Subsurface Structure |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These artist's drawings depict two proposed models of the subsurface structure of the Jovian moon, Europa. Geologic features on the surface, imaged by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft might be explained either by the existence of a warm, convecting ice layer, located several kilometers below a cold, brittle surface ice crust (top model), or by a layer of liquid water with a possible depth of more than 100 kilometers(bottom model). If a 100 kilometer (60 mile) deep ocean existed below a 15 kilometer (10 mile) thick Europan ice crust, it would be 10 times deeper than any ocean on Earth and would contain twice as much water as Earth's oceans and rivers combined. Unlike the Earth, magnesium sulfate might be a major salt component of Europa's water or ice, while the Earth's oceans are salty due to sodium chloride (common salt). While data from various instruments on the Galileo spacecraft indicate that an Europan ocean might exist, no conclusive proof has yet been found. To date Earth is the only known place in the solar system where large masses of liquid water are located close to a solid surface. Other sources are especially interesting since water is a key ingredient for the development of life. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
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Perspective Vie
…
PIA01620
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Perspective View of Bright Ridges in Uruk Sulcus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image is a computer-generated perspective view of ridges in the Uruk Sulcus region of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. This area is part of the bright grooved terrain that covers over half of Ganymede's surface, where the icy surface has been fractured and broken into many parallel ridges and troughs. Bright icy material is exposed in the crests of the ridges, while dark material has collected in low areas. The topographic information, which was generated from imaging of the same area on two successive flybys of Ganymede by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, reveals elevation differences of a few hundreds of meters between the highest and lowest points in this area. The perspective view is looking toward the south, and the topography has been vertically exaggerated. The image is centered at 12°degrees latitude and 168°degrees longitude, and the finest details that can discerned in this picture are about 86 meters across. The image was taken on September 6, 1996 at 18 hours, 46 minutes, 57 seconds Universal Time at a range of 4196 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Completing a Gl
…
PIA01606
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Completing a Global Map of Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
When NASA's two Voyager spacecraft passed through the Jupiter system in 1979, they captured many high resolution images of the Galilean satellites, but these encounters left some regions of these four largest Jovian moons poorly seen. One of the primary objectives of NASA's Galileo mission was to acquire images of areas that Voyager could not see. This is one such image, showing part of the leading hemisphere of Ganymede. Many fragmented regions of dark terrain split by lanes of bright grooved terrain cover the surface. Several bright young craters can be seen, including a linear chain of craters near the center of the image which may have resulted from the impact of a fragmented comet, similar to comet Shoemaker-Levy/9 which hit Jupiter in 1994. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the left. The mosaic, centered at 0 degrees latitude and 285 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 2800 by 5100 kilometers. The resolution is 3.6 kilometers per picture element. The images were taken on February 21, 1997 at 20 hours, 25 minutes, 29 seconds Universal Time at a range of 34,386 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http:// galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Ganymede's Trai
…
PIA01666
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Ganymede's Trailing Hemisphere |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
In this global view of Ganymede's trailing side, the colors are enhanced to emphasize color differences. The enhancement reveals frosty polar caps in addition to the two predominant terrains on Ganymede, bright, grooved terrain and older, dark furrowed areas. Many craters with diameters up to several dozen kilometers are visible. The violet hues at the poles may be the result of small particles of frost which would scatter more light at shorter wavelengths (the violet end of the spectrum). Ganymede's magnetic field, which was detected by the magnetometer on NASA's Galileo spacecraft in 1996, may be partly responsible for the appearance of the polar terrain. Compared to Earth's polar caps, Ganymede's polar terrain is relatively vast. The frost on Ganymede reaches latitudes as low as 40 degrees on average and 25 degrees at some locations. For comparison with Earth, Miami, Florida lies at 26 degrees north latitude, and Berlin, Germany is located at 52 degrees north. North is to the top of the picture. The composite, which combines images taken with green, violet, and 1 micrometer filters, is centered at 306 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 9 kilometers (6 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 29 March 1998 at a range of 918000 kilometers (570,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Agenor Linea in
…
PIA01647
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Agenor Linea in Color |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Agenor Linea is an unusually bright, white band on Jupiter's icy moon Europa. This mosaic uses color images to "paint" high resolution images of Agenor, and then places the colorized images within lower resolution images of the surrounding area. All data was obtained on September 26th, 1998 during the 17th orbit of Jupiter by NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Along this portion of Agenor is a "triple band," flanked by dark, reddish material of uncertain origin. On the right side of this image, Agenor splits into two sections. These color images will help scientists understand why Agenor Linea is unusually bright and white compared to Europa's other ridges and bands. North is to the upper right of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the east. The image, centered at 41 degrees south latitude and 189 degrees west longitude, covers an area approximately 135 by 60 kilometers (84 by 37 miles). The highest resolution images were obtained at a resolution of about 50 meters (165 feet) per picture element and are shown here in context at about 220 meters per picture element. The images were taken by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft at a range of about 4700 kilometers (2900 miles)for the highest resolution images and less than 20000 kilometers (12,400 miles)for the lower resolution color images. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Double Ridges,
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PIA01641
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Double Ridges, Dark Spots, and Smooth Icy Plains on Europa |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This mosaic of a region in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter's moon, Europa, displays many of the features which are typical on the satellite's icy surface. Brown, linear (double) ridges extend prominently across the scene. They could be frozen remnants of cryovolcanic activity which occurred when water or partly molten water ice erupted on the Europan surface, freezing almost instantly in the extremely low temperatures so far from our sun. Dark spots, several kilometers in diameter, are distributed over the surface. A geologically older, smoother surface, bluish in tone, underlies the ridge system. The blue surface is composed of almost pure water ice, whereas the composition of the dark, brownish spots and ridges is not certain. One possibility is that they contain evaporites such as mineral salts in a matrix of high water content. North is to the lower left of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the upper left. The image, centered at 40 degrees north latitude and 225 degrees west longitude, covers an area approximately 800 by 350 kilometers(500 by 220 miles). The resolution is 230 meters (250 yards) per picture element. The colors have been enhanced to bring out the details. An astronaut orbiting this smallest of the four Galilean satellites would seethe icy surface of Europa somewhat brighter, but with less intense colors. The images were obtained during two separate orbits of Jupiter by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. High resolution images obtained at a range of about 25,000 kilometers(15,000 miles) during the spacecraft's 15th orbit of Jupiter on May 31st, 1998 are combined with lower resolution images [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/europa/G1.html ] obtained during the spacecraft's first orbit of Jupiter on June 28th, 1996. Combining the lower resolution and high resolution images enables scientists to investigate both the surface features in great detail as well as the color or compositional information in a regional context. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission or NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
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Sequence Showin
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PIA01652
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Sequence Showing Active Volcanic Plumes on Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
These four views of Jupiter's moon Io clearly show airborne plumes of gas and dust from two of Io's active volcanoes, Zamama and Prometheus. The bottom row consists of enlargements of the plume areas. The first view(left) depicts the tops of both plumes on Io's bright limb or edge. In the second image, an excellent view of Zamama on the bright limb reveals the umbrella-shaped structure. The third image also shows both plumes as bright spots against Io's illuminated crescent. In the fourth view (right)where the volcanic centers lie beyond the terminator (day-night boundary), the tall plumes are visible because they extend up into sunlight. The plumes have a height of about 100 kilometers (60 miles). Both plumes have been active throughout the Galileo tour of the Jovian system which began in 1996. Zamama, however, is considerably larger and brighter in these images from the spacecraft's eleventh orbit of Jupiter than when imaged previously. Prometheus was also active during 1979 flybys of NASA's Voyager spacecraft. There are two other much fainter plumes that can be detected on the bright limb of the third and fourth images. See if you can find them by changing the brightness levels of the images to enhance the dark regions. North is to the top of the picture. To make the plumes easier to see, the colors have been enhanced by increasing the brightness at the blue end of the spectrum. Since the images shown were taken over an extended period of time, the resolutions range from 8 to 12 kilometers (5 to 7.5 miles)per picture element. The images were taken on November 7th and 8th, 1997by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft at ranges in excess of 800,000 kilometers (500,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URLhttp://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URLhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Io's Aurorae
PIA01637
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Io's Aurorae |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This eerie view of Jupiter's moon Io in eclipse (left) was acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft while the moon was in Jupiter's shadow. Gases above the satellite's surface produced a ghostly glow that could be seen at visible wavelengths (red, green, and violet). The vivid colors, caused by collisions between Io's atmospheric gases and energetic charged particles trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field, had not previously been observed. The green and red emissions are probably produced by mechanisms similar to those in Earth's polar regions that produce the aurora, or northern and southern lights. Bright blue glows mark the sites of dense plumes of volcanic vapor, and may be places where Io is electrically connected to Jupiter. The viewing geometry is shown in the image on the right. North is to the top of the picture, and Jupiter is towards the right. The resolution is 13.5 kilometers (8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on May 31, 1998 at a range of 1.3 million kilometers (800,000 miles) by Galileo's onboard solid state imaging camera system during the spacecraft's 15th orbit of Jupiter. JPL manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ]. |
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Close-up color
…
PIA01604
Jupiter
Solid-State Ima
…
| Title |
Close-up color view of Io |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This is the highest resolution color picture taken so far of Jupiter s volcanic moon Io by NASA s Galileo spacecraft. At 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) per picture element, the fiery satellite is seen against a backdrop of Jupiter's cloud tops, which appear blue in this false-color composite. Among the surprises seen on the moon s surface are several small, distinctly greenish patches and subtle violet hues at the cores and margins of bright sulfur dioxide-rich regions (like the one in the lower right). Dark spots, many flagged by bright red pyroclastic deposits, (deposits from explosive ejecta), mark the sites of current volcanic activity. Most of Io's riotous color is due to the presence of sulfur compounds, but the dark materials that make up the flows and calderas are probably silicate rock. North is to the top of the picture. The images used to construct this composite were taken in the 1- micron, green and violet filters of the solid state imaging camera system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The images were taken on March 29, 1998 at a range of 294,000 kilometers (about 183,000 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ] . Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] . |
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