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Io Volcano Close-up

This amazing close-up of a volcano on Jupiter's moon Io was taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft in October, 2001. IT shows an active volcanic crater named Tupan Patera.The volcano was named after a Brazilian thunder god. The bright yellow and orange colors show the varied results of lava interacting with sulfur-rich materials. Tupan Patera is estimated to be about 47 miles (75 kilometers) across and surrounded by cliffs about 3,000 feet (900 meters) tall. The black material is recent, warm lava while the yellow is believed to be a mix of sulfur compounds.