This five-frame sequence of New Horizons images captures the giant plume
from Io's Tvashtar volcano. Snapped by the probe's Long Range Reconnaissance
Imager (LORRI) as the spacecraft flew past Jupiter earlier this year, this
first-ever "movie" of an Io plume clearly shows motion in the cloud
of volcanic debris, which extends 330 kilometers (200 miles) above the moon's
surface. Only the upper part of the plume is visible from this vantage point --
the plume's source is 130 kilometers (80 miles) below the edge of Io's disk, on
the far side of the moon.
The appearance and motion of the plume is remarkably similar to an ornamental fountain on Earth, replicated on a gigantic scale. The knots and filaments that allow us to track the plume's motion are still mysterious, but this movie is likely to help scientists understand their origin, as well as provide unique information on the plume dynamics.
Source & further reading:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09665
The appearance and motion of the plume is remarkably similar to an ornamental fountain on Earth, replicated on a gigantic scale. The knots and filaments that allow us to track the plume's motion are still mysterious, but this movie is likely to help scientists understand their origin, as well as provide unique information on the plume dynamics.
Source & further reading:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA09665
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