A NASA spacecraft has recently revealed intriguing details about Jupiter and its volcanic moon.
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At Jupiter's north pole, powerful storms the size of Australia or larger are wrapped in 100 mph winds. After analyzing years of data from NASA's Juno mission, scientists have observed the long-term movements of its enormous polar cyclone, along with eight others surrounding it. Meanwhile, on Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active world in the solar system, the spacecraft discovered that hot lava flows reside just beneath its crust. These eye-opening observations from Juno's orbit of the gas giant, located about 544 million miles away, will enhance understanding of how planets and moons cycle heat within them—factors that influence weather, volcanic activity, and surface changes over time.
"As Juno’s orbit takes us to new regions of Jupiter’s complex system, we’re getting a closer look at the immensity of energy this gas giant wields," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno, in a statement.
The team is also learning about Io's energy. A volcanic eruption discovered during Juno's flyby in late December 2024—the most energetic in the moon's history—was still emitting lava and ash as of March 2 and is likely continuing to do so.
One surprising discovery is that despite the moon's cooled crust, the data indicates that Io maintains liquid hot lava just below the surface. In fact, about 10 percent of the surface has lava underneath it. This might explain how Io keeps its surface appearing so new. "Io’s volcanoes, lava fields, and subterranean lava flows act like a car radiator," said Shannon Brown, a Juno scientist, in a statement, "efficiently moving heat from the interior to the surface, cooling itself down in the vacuum of space."
On one of Juno's recent trips around Jupiter, the spacecraft—operating since 2016—used "radio occultation" to send a signal through Jupiter’s thick atmosphere and measure how the waves bent. From this, scientists learned that the air at the north pole is about 20 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the surrounding areas. Unlike Earth's hurricanes, which typically form near the equator and dissipate as they move toward the poles, Jupiter’s storms linger at the poles in a remarkable display of organized chaos: The cyclones interact with each other, stabilizing the entire configuration, and rotate slowly in sync around a large central storm.
Jupiter, which lacks a solid surface, is quite different from Earth, but researchers say studying its weather, internal activity, and system of moons can actually enhance understanding of our own planet. It's a vast natural laboratory, allowing researchers to observe extreme versions of processes that also occur here. Scientists have developed computer models that simulate weather and climate based on the laws of physics governing all planets. By observing wind, heat, and pressure in action on Jupiter, scientists can improve their understanding of weather systems in general and ensure the accuracy of those models.
Juno is anticipated to pass by Io again on May 6, coming within 55,000 miles of the moon, which will enable scientists to determine if the massive eruption continues. "One of the great things about Juno is its orbit is ever-changing, meaning we get a new vantage point each time we perform a science flyby," Bolton said. "We’ve built Juno like a tank and are learning more about this intense environment each time we go through it."
