【Kalakal】

NASA is Kalakalgetting closer.

The space agency's distant Juno probe, orbiting Jupiter hundreds of millions of miles away, has been swooping progressively closer to the Jovian moon Io — the most volcanically active world in our solar system. Juno recently made its 55th journey around Jupiter, zipping just some 7,270 miles (11,700 kilometers) from Io's surface, which in space-terms means almost skimming it (7,270 miles is over three times closer than some major U.S weather satellites).

NASA's Juno spacecraft captured these images on Oct. 15 and beamed them back to Earth the next day. These views are processed (removing noise and distortion, etc.) by both professional and amateur image processors, some of whom work for NASA or related space research programs.

SEE ALSO: NASA found a surprise when opening its asteroid canister

The following images are some of the clearest views of Io ever taken: You can see dark splotches (indicating lava flows), topography like volcanos rising from the moon's surface, and what could be a volcanic plume blowing into space.

And the spacecraft will swoop even closer, making its closest pass by Io in December and again in January 2024.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"We're marching closer and closer," Scott Bolton, the Juno mission's principal investigator, told Mashable earlier this year.

Jupiter's moon Io, seen from a close pass on Oct. 15, 2023. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 3.0 Io, on left, and a partial view of the gas giant Jupiter, on right. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 3.0 The bottom of this Io image shows what could be a volcanic plume. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / Brian Swift / CC BY 3.0

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Io is blanketed in erupting volcanoes because it's relentlessly locked in a tug-of-war between nearby objects. "Not only is the biggest planet in the solar system forever pulling at it gravitationally, but so are Io’s Galilean siblings — Europa and the biggest moon in the solar system, Ganymede," NASA explained in a statement. "The result is that Io is continuously stretched and squeezed, actions linked to the creation of the lava seen erupting from its many volcanoes."

Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newslettertoday.

---

Related Stories

---

• Webb telescope just made tantalizing find on ocean world Europa
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Saturn apparently has 145 moons. So eat it, Jupiter.
• NASA spacecraft flies right through sun explosion, captures footage

Io, while fascinating, certainly isn't a place that is suitable for life to exist. But other nearby moons could be.

"We're marching closer and closer."

In the coming years, we'll learn considerably more about the moon Europa, a world planetary scientists say harbors a salty sea beneath its thick, icy shell. "Europa may be the most promising place in our solar system to find present-day environments suitable for some form of life beyond Earth," NASA explains. In 2024, NASA will launch the much-anticipated Europa Clipper spacecraft to Jupiter, where the probe will repeatedly sweep close to the moon.

"NASA's Europa Clipper will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa and investigate whether the icy moon could harbor conditions suitable for life," the space agency said.

• Deals
• Life
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Tech
• Games
• Entertainment
• Shopping

• Then and Now: 6 Generations of GeForce Graphics Compared
• Google Pixel 7a announced: Specs, price, release date
• The Regulars by Josh Dzieza
• Twitter is adding encrypted direct messages very soon
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 5
• Two ‘Paris Review’ Events Not to Be Missed by The Paris Review
• Two ‘Paris Review’ Events Not to Be Missed by The Paris Review
• Alberta Sings the Blues by Patrick Monahan
• Samsung Unpacked stream is set for May 12, 2025
• Google Bard announcement: Text

• What's coming to Netflix in May 2019
• Melania Trump's racy photos land Indian minister in soup
• 'Game of Thrones' fans are very worried about Winterfell's crypt
• A grim look at the effort needed to hit the world’s big climate goal
• iFixit Samsung Galaxy Fold teardown reveals its flawed design
• 'The Word Of The Day Is' turns Slack into a game with a $1,000 prize
• Twitter co
• 'Avengers: Endgame' dazzles with epic and emotional world premiere
• The power of public shaming in Trump's America
• OnePlus 7 Pro is coming on May 14

• Trump signs AI education order to train K
• The best memes from Eurovision's first semi
• Google I/O 2023: Everything AI that Google announced at its artificial intelligence
• The Fetish by Vanessa Blakeslee
• Elon Musk makes request to Reddit CEO to take down posts he didn't like
• Loose Lips by Laura Moser
• TikTok will finally pay its biggest creators directly
• Influencers stopped caring about the pandemic. Here’s why that's so dangerous.
• Best grocery deal: Spend $20 and get $5 off at Amazon
• 'I am the canary': Vivienne Westwood protests from giant birdcage for Julian Assange

• Get the official Atari 7800+ Console for 50% off
• Twitter's encrypted DMs are here, but they have many flaws
• Double Fault by A
• Google Pixel Tablet announced: Specs, release date, price, preorder details
• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 1, 2025
• A Tote for 200! by The Paris Review
• In Miss Eudora’s Garden by Margaret Eby
• Win Two Free Tickets to ‘Seminar’ by Sadie Stein
• Inside the Murky Process of Getting Games on Steam
• On the Shelf by Sadie Stein