AstronomyCast Io

One of Jupiter's moons, Io, is the site of extreme conditions. It is the most geologically active object in the solar system. Io is the fourth largest moon in the solar system and it has over 400 active volcanoes. The extensive geological activity is caused by the result of tidal heating from friction generated from within Io's interior as it is pulled between Jupiter and the other Galilean moons. Some of the volcanoes and mountains on Io are even taller than Earth's Mt. Everest. Unlike many other moons, Io consists of silicate rock surrounding a molten iron or molten iron sulfide core. Io is just one of the thousands of satellites in our solar system and it holds many interesting information.