More of Io

         Jupiter's super volcanic moon Io is apparently responsible for dramatic brightening of the giant planet's stunning blue auroras, a new study suggests.

         Auroras are generated when electrically charged particles collide with a planet's atmosphere, where they excite gases and cause them to glow. The sun is the source of the particles that produce Earth's auroras, which are also known as the northern and southern lights.

      Jupiter's auroras, which are sparked by particles from the planet's moons as well as the sun, are thousands of times more energetic than Earth's and many times bigger than Earth itself. They're also constant, but every once in a while they grow to an incredible intensity — the result not of a solar flare but of volcanic activity on Io, according to the new study.                                                                                                                                                                

The blue aurora that is constantly glowing on the giant planet Jupiter.