images

A Day on Io - 4/6 - Artwork

by

Ron Miller/Novapix

Reference

a-jup99-00318

Date

2017-01-13

Io keeps the same face toward Jupiter as it orbits the planet. For this reason, Jupiter appears to hang motionless in Io's sky. Just as the Earth's Moon does, Jupiter goes through phases as Io orbits it. Here's a gallery showing the view from a location in the northern hemisphere during the course of a single day.
4. Halfway through the day, the sun is now behind us. We can see the tiny shadow of Io on the cloudtops of Jupiter.