Io
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Io
(ī`ō), in astronomy, one of the 39 known moons, or natural satellites, of JupiterJupiter, in astronomy, 5th planet from the sun and largest planet of the solar system. Astronomical and Physical Characteristics
Jupiter's orbit lies beyond the asteroid belt at a mean distance of 483.6 million mi (778.
..... Click the link for more information. . Io is subject to Jupiter's enormous tidal forces and is, as a result, the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Its tenuous, mainly sulfur-dioxide atmosphere freezes and forms a solid when Io passes in Jupiter's shadow.
Io,
in Greek mythology, daughter of Inachus, king ofo Argos. She was loved by ZeusZeus, in Greek religion and mythology, son and successor of Kronos as supreme god. His mother, Rhea, immediately after his birth concealed him from Kronos, who, because he was fated to be overthrown by one of his children, ate all his offspring.
..... Click the link for more information. , who, to protect her from HeraHera
, in Greek religion and mythology, queen of the Olympian gods, daughter of Kronos and Rhea. She was the wife and sister of Zeus and the mother of Ares and Hephaestus. A jealous wife, she fought constantly with Zeus and plagued his mistresses and children.
..... Click the link for more information. 's jealousy, changed her into a white heifer. Hera, however, was not deceived; she claimed the heifer and sent ArgusArgus
or Argos
, in Greek mythology. 1 Many-eyed monster, also called Panoptes. He guarded Io after she had been changed into a heifer. After Hermes slew the monster, Hera took his eyes and placed them in the tail of her bird, the peacock.
..... Click the link for more information. to guard it. When HermesHermes,
in Greek religion and mythology, son of Zeus and Maia. His functions were many, but he was primarily the messenger of the gods, particularly of Zeus, and conductor of souls to Hades.
..... Click the link for more information. killed Argus, Hera tormented Io with a gadfly which drove her across Europe and through Asia, until she was finally allowed to rest in Egypt. There Zeus returned her to human form, and she bore his child Epaphus. Io has been identified with the Egyptian goddess IsisIsis
, nature goddess whose worship, originating in ancient Egypt, gradually extended throughout the lands of the Mediterranean world during the Hellenistic period and became one of the chief religions of the Roman Empire.
..... Click the link for more information. .
Io
(ÿ -oh) The innermost of the four giant Galilean satellites of Jupiter. It keeps one face permanently toward the planet (see synchronous rotation) as it orbits at a distance of 422 000 km, within Jupiter's magnetosphere. Io is yellow-brown in color, has a high albedo (0.61), and has a diameter of 3630 km. The orbital period of Io is one half that of Europa and one-fourth that of Ganymede; the three satellites are locked into an orbital resonance, the interaction of the satellites having caused their orbital distances to adjust until their periods were common multiples. Early photographs from the Voyager 1 probe March 1979 showed the surface of Io to lack impact craters. An explanation for this was found when intense volcanic action was observed on the satellite: at least nine active volcanoes were seen to eject material over a very wide area; seven were still active when Voyager 2 arrived four months later. Following the six passes of Io made by the Galileo spacecraft during its 33 orbits of Jupiter between 1996 and 2002, scientists now know there are at least 120 active volcanic regions. Few of Io's volcanoes resemble the crater-topped mountains seen on the Earth and Mars. Instead, most of Io's volcanic craters lie in relatively flat regions. Yet half the mountains on Io are located next to volcanic craters.Io is the most active volcanic body known in the Solar System. The activity is thought to result from heating by tidal forces exerted by Jupiter. There are several types of activity: eruptive plumes, a few of which reach altitudes of hundreds of kilometers; huge calderas (volcanic collapse craters) with associated lava flows and/or surface markings; some possible lava lakes. The first volcano observed by Voyager 1 was an eruptive plume ascending to 280 km and visible above the satellite limb; material was deposited in concentric rings up to about 1400 km across. This volcano has been named Pele. The plume of Loki was active on both Voyager passes, rising to 100 km as measured by Voyager 1 and 200 km as measured by Voyager 2. Many of the plumes, such as that of Prometheus, were 50–120 km high and also apparently long-lived. Ionized matter – sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen – escapes from the tenuous volcanic atmosphere of Io and forms a torus centered on Io and encompassing the whole of Io's orbit. The particles in the torus glow brightly in the ultraviolet. This matter interacts with Jupiter's magnetosphere: it controls the rate at which Jupiter radiates energy and probably affects aurorae on Jupiter, radio bursts from the planet, and other phenomena. See also Galilean satellites; Jupiter; Jupiter's satellites; Table 2, backmatter.
Io
in ancient Greek mythology, a priestess of the goddess Hera who captivated Zeus with her beauty. According to one version of the myth, Hera changed Io into a heifer out of jealousy towardher husband Zeus and gave her into the charge of the many-eyed giant Argus, who was killed by Hermes. Hera then set a monstrous gadfly against Io. Io escaped from its stings and reached Egypt, where she was again restored to human form. According to mythological genealogy, the descendants of Io were the Danaids.