KRON—New research has found that Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io has an atmosphere that collapses in the presence of the red planet’s shadow. When Io’s thin atmosphere collapses, it condenses into ice.
The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Io has volcanoes caused by tidal heating from gravitational forces from other moons.
The study documents the changes to Io’s atmosphere when Jupiter casts its shadow on the moon.
Research shows that the temperature decreases to -270 degrees Fahrenheit at the time of an eclipse. In sunlight, the atmosphere is -235 degrees Fahrenheit.
Before the study was released, close observation of Io wasn’t possible.