Loki Volcano on Jupiter’s Moon Io
On its own, Io is easily one of the most mind-blowing places known to astronomers. In orbit around Jupiter, Io is the most volcanically active object in the solar system, featuring lakes of molten silicate lava on the surface. Io’s extreme volcanic nature is due to gravitational forces exerted by Jupiter and two neighboring moons, Europa and Ganymede.
Lots of volcanoes exist on Io, but Loki takes the cake, accounting for 15 percent of the moon’s total heat expenditure. What’s more, this 124-mile-wide (200 km) volcano is a periodic volcano, meaning its eruptions tend to follow a distinct pattern. Since 2013, Loki has been erupting at roughly 475-day intervals, with eruptions lasting for roughly 160 days.
