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    Hints of a Volcanically Active Exo-Moon

    August 30, 2019, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Artist’s composition of a volcanic exo-Io undergoing extreme mass loss. The hidden exomoon is enshrouded in an irradiated gas cloud shining in bright orange-yellow, as would be seen with a sodium filter. Patches of sodium clouds are seen to trail the lunar orbit, possibly driven by the gas giant’s magnetosphere.© University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

    A rocky extrasolar moon (exomoon) with bubbling lava may orbit a planet 550 light-years away from us. This is suggested by an international team of researchers on the basis of theoretical predictions matching observations. The ‘exo-Io’ would appear to be an extreme version of Jupiter’s moon Io.

    Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in our solar system...

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