The Voyager flybys discovered active volcanos on Io's mottled surface and this image indicates that dramatic changes have occurred since , notably in the region of the Masubi volcano located in Io's southern hemisphere. This region, apparently covered with new deposits of sulfur and sulfur dioxide frost deposited by volcanic eruption, is seen as the pronounced white area at the bottom of the picture. While scientists continue to analyze this image and other recent Galileo data the robot spacecraft will continue to explore Jupiter's moons . Its next scheduled close encounter is set for September 6th with the moon Ganymede . Higher resolution images of Io are also expected during the ongoing mission.
Specific rights apply.