Written by experts in the field, many of whom took part in the Galileo mission, the book reviews the basics about Io and its unique space environment. Coverage includes all subjects, where the Galilio mission has shed new light on, with some emphasis on Io's most remarkable characteristics: its active volcanism. Written primarily for planetary scientists this book will also benefit volcanologists in general and newcomers wishing to specialize in this field of research.

Only book solely about Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system Contains very latest research data from the Galileo mission about this very active moon Written by experts in the field, many of whom were members of Galileo instrument teams No other missions to the Jupiter system are planned for this decade, so the book will stay current for a number of years Editors are well-known in planetary and earth sciences and authors of individual chapters are leading experts in their fields

Klappentext

Jupiter's moon Io is the Solar System's most exotic satellite. Active volcanism on Io was discovered from observations by the Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1979, confirming a possibility suggested from theoretical studies of Io's orbit. Our knowledge of Io's volcanism, composition, and space environment were significantly increased as a result of observations by the Galileo spacecraft from 1996 through 2001. The end of the Galileo mission in 2003 makes this an ideal time to summarize the new results in a book as no book has ever been written about Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io.

Inhalt
A history of the exploration of Io.- A summary of the Galileo mission and its observations of Io.- Formation and early evolution of Io.- The interior of Io.- Ionian mountains and tectonics: Insights into what lies beneath Io's lofty peaks.- Active volcanism: Effusive eruptions.- Plumes and their deposits.- Io's surface composition.- Io's atmosphere.- Io's neutral clouds, plasma torus, magnetospheric interaction.- Outstanding questions and future explorations.