Chaac Patera, Io
Chaac Patera, Io This mosaic shows a portion of the northeastern margin of Chaac Patera, a volcanic depression on the anti-Jupiter hemisphere of Io. The terrain to the upper left is the hummocky plains that make up the upper level of the depression in which Chaac sits. The terrain to the lower right is the floor of Chaac Patera, consisting of thin overlapping silicate flows. At a resolution of 7 meters (23 feet) per pixel, these are the highest resolution images of lava flows ever obtained from Io. The images were taken from a distance of 700 to 800 kilometers (roughly 400 to 500 miles) and are centered around 12°N,158°W. North is to the top and the sun illuminates the surface from the right. For context, see this NASA Photojournal entry. NASA / JPL / Jason Perry