The solar system is a star system outside the suburbs of the Milky Way. This star system seems to be no different from other star systems on the surface, but because the planet of life was born here, intelligent life human beings were born, which changed the original ordinary galaxy It’s extraordinary.
The solar system is the mother galaxy of mankind. From the moment we walked out of the earth, we began to study and explore the secrets of the solar system. The solar system is a galaxy with many planets. In addition to the eight major planets, there are also a large number of asteroids. Except for the eight major planets, Venus and Mercury do not have their own satellites, other planets have varying numbers of satellites, such as the Earth. The satellite is the moon.
Whether it is a planet or a satellite, the environment on their surface has its own characteristics. The earth is the most beautiful ecological planet. A suitable environment gives birth to life and human beings. Mars is a desolate desert planet with a red world on the outside. The structure of Venus is the most similar to that of the Earth, but the surface environment is very harsh, the temperature reaches 460 degrees Celsius, and there is also an acid rain layer, which often rains some acid rain.
Mercury is the planet closest to the earth, and the environment on its surface is naturally very harsh and the temperature is very high. In the eyes of many people, Mercury and Venus should be the most terrifying planets in the solar system, but in fact, through the observation of probes, Io is the most feared planet in the solar system, and Venus and Mercury can only be ranked second and third. .
By the name, we should know that Io is one of the 64 moons of Jupiter. This is also true. Jupiter is the largest gas giant planet in the solar system, and it has the largest number of satellites, reaching 64. Among them, Io is the closest satellite to Jupiter, with a diameter of about 3642 kilometers, making it the fourth largest satellite in the solar system.
In many people’s perceptions, Jupiter has left the habitable zone of the solar system, and the solar radiation received here is continuously decreasing. The surface temperature of the planet moving in this position should be relatively low, which is a cold world. Through the observation of the probe, the satellites around Jupiter are basically the cold and frozen world, but Io is very different from other satellites.
Io is equivalent to a wolf running out of the flock. Its surface temperature not only makes it cold, but it becomes a hot world. Through the probe, we saw that Io’s surface environment is very harsh, surpassing Mercury and Golden Mars, and it is a lava world.
The temperature on the surface of Io is very high. Standing at the position of the Jupiter in the solar system, the solar radiation it receives is far from comparable to that of Mercury and Venus. So the hot temperature on its surface cannot be derived from The sun’s radiation, then what caused it to become a world of purgatory?
When the Voyager spacecraft passed by Jupiter about 20 years ago, it observed very active volcanic activity on the surface of Io. Ground scientists continued to monitor Io and found that it was the most frequent volcanic activity in the solar system. Celestial body. Later, the “Galileo” spacecraft discovered that the volcanic hot spot temperature on the surface of Io was as high as about 1,610 degrees Celsius. In contrast, the volcanoes on the earth (such as the Guilaua Volcano in Hawaii) are only about 1,000 degrees Celsius.
It is the frequent volcanic activity that makes Io the most terrifying planet in the solar system. Although it is not near the sun, its own conditions have created a terrifying surface. According to the probe’s observations, there are more than 400 active volcanoes distributed on the surface of Io, which can be said to be a world where volcanoes continue to erupt.
Io’s atmosphere is extremely thin, only one billionth of the earth’s atmospheric pressure. The main component is sulfur dioxide, and there are also a little sodium chloride, sulfur monoxide, and oxygen. Its internal structure is mainly composed of silicate stone and iron, so why is Io’s live fire activities so frequent?
Under normal circumstances, if a planet has very frequent volcanic activity, it means that it is a very young planet. It hasn’t been formed for too long, and it hasn’t completely stabilized. Is this the case for Io? Its solid wood satellite is not a very young moon. The main reason for its frequent volcanic activity is Jupiter.
As we said earlier, Io is the closest satellite to Jupiter. We must know that Jupiter has a very large mass. All the other seven planets together are not as large as one Jupiter. This shows how large its mass is. Large mass brings stronger gravity, so Jupiter can attract so many satellites. As the closest satellite to Jupiter, it is also most affected by satellite gravity.
Jupiter’s strong gravity constantly tears Io, making it difficult for its geological activities to stabilize quickly, but presents a very active state. Of course, this situation will not last forever. As time goes by, Io will eventually stabilize from an active state, and volcanic activity will slowly stop. At that time Io will form a high mountain, and the temperature will drop step by step, becoming similar to Mars.
Of course, it takes a long time for Io to complete this experience. When it truly stabilizes and transforms from a purgatory planet to a planet like Mars, it is possible that human beings have already walked out of the solar system and entered the interstellar age. So Io might have life? In the eyes of many people, how could life exist on planets worse than Venus and Mars?
If it were in the past, scientists would think so, but with the continuous development of science and technology, the exploration of life continues to deepen. We found that life’s ability to adapt to the environment far exceeds our imagination. Even on a beautiful planet like the Earth, in some extremely harsh environments, there will still be life. The vicinity of Earth’s volcanoes is not a forbidden zone for life. There are also some beings who are not afraid of high temperatures.
Scientists now speculate that there may be life in the atmosphere of Venus or even on the surface. If life can exist in the environment of Venus, then life may not exist in Io’s more severe and hot environment. Maybe there are some beings who like Io’s high temperature environment, of course, being able to survive in such a harsh environment is bound to be very extraordinary. On the contrary, life on the earth generally does not have a strong ability to adapt to the environment. As long as some drastic changes in the environment occur, it will lead to mass extinction of life.
Of course, we are just a guess as to whether Io has life or not. If we want to really figure it out, we still need the probe to land on its surface for more detailed mobile exploration. It is a pity that with the current technological strength of human beings, it is difficult for us to land on the surface of Venus for long-term exploration, let alone the more distant and harsher Io.
Only when the human science and technology strength is further improved and more powerful detectors are available, we can hope to actually board Io and conduct more detailed exploration and research on its surface. At that time, all the mysteries on Io’s surface will be revealed by us.