The Digital Press

Recent NASA Juno flybys of Io, Jupiter’s volcanic moon, challenge the long-held belief that a global magma ocean lies just beneath its crust, revealing surprising gaps in understanding Io’s intense volcanism.

Why it matters: The findings overturn a key theory about Io’s internal structure that explained its widespread volcanic activity.

The big picture: Io’s tidal heating drives volcanism, but its internal melting processes remain mysterious, impacting knowledge of other moons like Europa.

The stakes: Without a shallow magma ocean, scientists must rethink how tidal heating powers Io and reconsider assumptions about habitable environments on icy moons.

Commenters say: Readers express fascination with Io’s complexity and debate implications for tidal heating, volcanic activity, and comparisons to icy moons like Europa.