Figure 13-6: R I V U X G
Rapid Changes on Io (a) This Galileo image shows a portion of Io’s southern hemisphere. Sulfur ejected from the active volcanic vent Pele produced a red ring that resembles paint sprayed from a can. (b) A few months later, a volcanic plume erupted from a vent called Pillan Patera, spraying dark material over an area some 400 km (250 mi) in diameter (about the size of Arizona). Other than Earth, Io is the only world in the solar system that shows such noticeable changes over short time spans.
Rapid Changes on Io (a) This Galileo image shows a portion of Io’s southern hemisphere. Sulfur ejected from the active volcanic vent Pele produced a red ring that resembles paint sprayed from a can. (b) A few months later, a volcanic plume erupted from a vent called Pillan Patera, spraying dark material over an area some 400 km (250 mi) in diameter (about the size of Arizona). Other than Earth, Io is the only world in the solar system that shows such noticeable changes over short time spans.
(NASA/JPL)