Global image of Io (false color)
author: Nasa/JPL/Novapix
reference: a-jup05-00203
Image Size 300 DPI: 32 * 32 cm
Galileo spacecraft acquired its highest resolution images of Jupiter's moon Io on 3 July 1999 during its closest pass to Io since orbit insertion in late 1995. This color mosaic uses the near-infrared, green and violet filters (slightly more than the visible range) of the spacecraft's camera which have been processed to enhance more subtle color variations. Most of Io's surface has pastel colors, punctuated by black, brown, green, orange, and red units near the active volcanic centers. The image is centered at 0.3 degrees north latitudeand 137.5 degrees west longitude. The resolution is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per picture element. The images were taken on 3 July 1999 at a range of about 130,000 kilometers (81,000 miles) by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on Galileo spacecraft during its twenty-first orbit.