NASA solves 44-year-old mystery of why Jupiter's Io is so volcanically active

Image shows the north polar region of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io as captured by NASA’s Juno during the spacecraft’s 57th close pass of the gas giant on Dec. 30, 2023. .

NASA scientists have revealed the secrets of the most volcanic body in our solar system, according to new research. The discovery solves a 44-year-old mystery of why, and how, Jupiter's violent moon, Io, became so volcanically active.

Io is only slightly larger than our moon, with a diameter of 2,237 miles (3,600 kilometers), and has an estimated 400 volcanoes, according to NASA. Plumes from these volcanoes' eruptions can stretch for miles out into space, and can even be seen from Earth when viewed through large telescopes.