Tidal effects also circularize the orbit, which decreases tidal heating. This perpetual friction generates enormous amounts of heat and pressure within Io, causing molten material and gases to rise through fractures in the crust and to erupt onto the surface. We call these planets Tidal Venuses and the phenomenon a tidal greenhouse. (The highest ocean tides on Earth only reach about 18 meters (60 ft)). This causes Io's surface to rise and fall by about 100 meters (300 ft). Light from the Sun takes about 45 minutes to reach Europa. One AU is the distance from Earth to the Sun. As a result, Io is subjected to tremendous tidal forces that alternately squeeze and stretch its interior. Jupiter isn't acting as a roaring campfire for its surrounding satellites, but because of its huge mass, what it is doing is pushing and pulling its moons and that generates heat. Europa orbits Jupiter at about 417,000 miles (671,000 kilometers) from the planet, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of roughly 500 million miles (780 million kilometers), or 5.2 astronomical units (AU). These opposing forces cause the distance between Io and Jupiter to vary, making Io's orbit slightly elliptical. Jupiter pulls Io inward toward itself, while the gravity of the outer moons pull it in the opposite direction. Question: The tidal heating of the large moons of Jupiter is greatly enhanced by their orbital resonances, which generate significant orbital eccentricies. Io's volcanic activity is caused by the powerful force of Jupiter's gravity, coupled with the gravitational pull of Io's neighboring moons-Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede. Low Tide Sun Moon Date AM ft PM ft AM ft PM ft Rise Set Tidal. But there are other moons nearby which exert a gravitational pull of their own. Please note, the low and high tide times given are not suitable for navigational purposes. If Io were Jupiter's only moon, it would not be subject to internal stresses. Moon transits can be felt strongly at the emotional level but only last for a few hours. This image taken recently by the Cassini Orbiter shows the relative size of Jupiter and Io. Io is therefore very strongly affected by the pull of Jupiter's gravity. Io, on the other hand, is a tiny moon which orbits very close to the giant planet. More than 1300 Earths would fit within its volume! As a result, Jupiter exerts a tremendous gravitational force. Tidal heating is the heating of the interior of one planetary body caused by stresses induced from the gravitational pull of another. Internal heating produced by tides in Io is so strong the moon undergoes powerful global-scale volcanism. Internal heating can dramatically affect the suitability of a planet for life. But Io is too small to have left over accretional heat, and radioactive decay could not generate the tremendous energy required to power all of the volcanic activity that exists on the moon. NASA images of Jupiter's moon, Io, Earth and Mars, respectively, illustrate worlds with too much, just enough and too little tidal heating to favor life. What force is responsible for powering the volcanoes on Io? On Earth, the heat source that produces volcanic activity comes from energy released from the decay of radioactive materials within the interior, as well as from heat left over from Earth's formation.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |