NASA has released an incredible image of Jupiter’s Moon Io’s polar regions. The photograph was taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft using a high-powered camera. In December 2023 and January 2024, the spacecraft flew roughly 1500 km above Io’s northern polar area. These flybys offered the closest view ever of the moon’s largest volcano. Io is known for its numerous active volcanic units, some of which can even be observed from telescopes on Earth. The new images also show Loki Patera, a vast volcanic depression on Io that spans over 200 km. Scientists have been studying this active volcano for many years. It is situated on the hemisphere directly opposite to Jupiter when seen from Io. A NASA representative commented that the sharp images captured by Juno reveal that a portion of Io’s polar surface is flat and without distinct features, resembling snow-covered fields on Earth. The instruments on the Juno spacecraft have confirmed that Io’s surface is more rugged compared to the three other large Galilean moons of Jupiter (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). Io, which is slightly larger than Earth’s Moon, has surface features that are primarily a result of red sulfur deposition and explosive water vapor plumes.