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Io
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Io's atmosphere is ... affected by its interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere. Io is immersed in the Io plasma torus, a gas of ions of O and S and electrons originating from the satellite itself and trapped around its orbit by Jupiter's magnetic field. This torus flows past Io at 57 km/sec, resulting in a continuous supply of plasma that can interact with the atmosphere, ionosphere, and surface through processes like sputtering, charge exchange, and excitation. In addition, the motion of Io with respect to Jupiter's magnetic field generates a ~400 kilovolt potential across it that constitutes a substantial energy source, and creates an instantaneous current system, the Io flux tube (IFT), connecting Io's ionosphere with that of Jupiter. The nature of this complex system is not well understood and would be greatly affected by the presence of an intrinsic magnetic field on Io, for which there may be evidence from the GALILEO orbiter. One aspect of the interaction is the production of emissions from Jupiter associated with the IFT.
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This image of Jupiter and its satellite Io were taken on March 5, 1994. Io is too small for ground-based telescopes to see the surface details. Several of the volcanoes periodically are active because Io is heated by tides raised by Jupiter's powerful gravity. The volcano Pele appears as a dark spot surrounded by an irregular orange oval in the lower part of the image. The orange material has been ejected from the volcano and spread over a huge area. Though the volcano was first discovered by Voyager, the distinctive orange color of the volcanic deposits is a new discovery in these Hubble Space Telescope images.
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Io ... cuts across Jupiter's magnetic field lines, generating an electric current. Though not a large source of energy compared to the tidal heating, this current may carry more than 1 trillion watts with a potential of 400,000 volts. It also strips ionized atoms away from Io at the rate of a thousand kilograms per second which form a torus of intense radiation around Jupiter that glows brightly in the ultraviolet. Particles escaping from this torus are partially responsible for Jupiter's unusually large magnetosphere, their outward pressure inflating it from within. Recent data from the Galileo probe indicate that Io may have its own magnetic field.
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The electron beams ... must have a role in maintaining the Io torus, the doughnut-shaped cloud of ionized gases that flows between Jupiter and Io, Galileo scientists said. Auroras in Io's atmosphere is one likely result of the electron beams, they reported, and the two-way electron highway that the beams produce between Jupiter and Io must contribute to some of the auroras observed in Jupiter's atmosphere as well.
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The more traditional volcanoes of Io are still unearthly in their heat. The volcano Pele, named for the Polynesian fire goddess, reaches temperatures of about 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 degrees Celsius) -- far hotter than the 2,192 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius) of a comparable Earth volcano.
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Io moth eggs are small and white with a large spot that turns black as the fertile eggs develop. The eggs are usually laid in groups of twenty or more. Early instar larvae stay together and travel regularly in single file processions all over the food plant. Emerged larvae usually eat a portion of the egg shell and remain close to the cluster until all eggs have emerged.
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