Jupiter Moon IO Facts/ Volcanoes/ Size/ Pronunciation!

IO (Pronounce as- aai, oh) is the closest Galilean moon to Planet Jupiter. Jupiter Moon IO is the third-largest Galilean moon and fourth-largest moon of the solar system.

Io moon including other Galilean Moons was discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. The IO Moon of Jupiter has the most active volcanoes than any other object in our solar system. Io is the densest moon of our solar system with a density of around 3.5 gm/cm3.

Here in this article, you will know many facts and information about Jupiter Moon IO.

IO Moon Facts

Jupiter’s moon Io was discovered on 8 Jan 1610 by Galileo Galilei with other Galilean Moons.

This moon was named after a priestess of Hera, IO. Io was one of the lovers of Zeus. According to mythology, Zeus converted IO into a cow to hide his infidelity from his wife Hera.

It is the fourth-largest moon in our solar system with a diameter of around 3643 kilometers.

IO is the most volcanically active object in our solar system. Currently, it has around 400 active volcanoes. The plumes of many volcanoes go up to 500 kilometers high.

Io surface has more than 100 mountains. Some of these mountains are higher than Mount Everest.

Most moons of the solar system are primarily made of water ice. But Jupiter Moon Io is primarily made of silicate rock with a molten iron or iron sulfide core. The water quantity is very less on this Jovian Moon unlike other moons in the solar system.

Must read:- Most Interesting facts about Planet Jupiter

galilean moons — Closest Moon IO in Galilean Moons

Jupiter Moon IO Size

IO moon is quite large in size and it is the 4th largest moon of the solar system. The diameter of this moon is around 3643 kilometers (2264 miles). The moon Io is slightly larger than our earth’s moon (diameter 3474 km), around 5% larger than Earth’s moon.

The Galilean moons (Ganymede and Callisto) and one Saturn moon Titan is larger than Jupiter’s moon io. According to diameter, IO is 0.28 times the earth. While comparing the Io moon size, it is quite larger than dwarf planet Pluto (diameter 2376 km).

IO Moon Volcanoes

Jupiter’s moon Io is the most geologically active object in our solar system and currently, it has more than 400 active volcanoes. It happens because of tidal heating, generated from the Io’s internal friction due to other Galilean moons and Jupiter itself. Due to the tidal force, it has such a high rate of active volcanoes. Its tidal force is around 20,000 times stronger than our Earth faces due to our moon.

The plumes of these Io’s volcanoes are quite high and reach up to 500 kilometers from the surface. Most of these plumes are made of sulfur and sulfur dioxide.

Moon IO Pronunciation

Many people get confused about the pronunciation of Jupiter’s Io moon. Well, people get confused about the letter I or L. Because the ‘capital letter I’ looks like the ‘small letter L (l)’. Here regarding this moon, there is no ‘small letter L’, it the letter I. So, the Jupiter Moon Io is pronounced as two different letters I and O. Simply the moon IO pronounce as – aai, oh.

Io moon distance from Jupiter

Planet Jupiter has many moons (a total of 79 Jupiter moons). Check below to know the all moons of Jupiter.

Must Check:- Jupiter Moons: Facts, Names, Numbers & List

The moon Io is the fifth moon from the planet Jupiter. It is the closest Galilean moon. But before Io, there are four inner Jovian moons. The Io moon distance from Jupiter is around 0.42 million kilometers.