Juno Spacecraft Captures Stunning Images of Jupiter's Moon Io

To enhance scientists' understanding of the diverse range of volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io, the Juno spacecraft completed its closest-ever flyby, capturing breathtaking images of what NASA refers to as 'the solar system’s most volcanic world.' The NASA spacecraft recently released the images after approaching within 932 miles of Io in the Jovian System on Dec. 30. This historic event marks the closest encounter with Io in over two decades and stands as the Juno Mission's 'closest-ever approach to Jupiter’s moon,' as confirmed by NASA. In a post on X, previously known as Twitter, NASA announced that Juno recorded Io’s molten surface and is set to revisit the moon in February for further observations. Following the flyby, NASA published an article affirming scientists' anticipation that Juno’s findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the nature and diversity of Io's volcanoes. Launched on August 5, 2011, Juno is an 'orbiter,' which reached Jupiter in 2016 to explore the Jovian System, as elaborated on NASA's dedicated mission webpage. Take a look at some of the striking images released by NASA in the video player above.