Tvashtar Paterae

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thumb|200px|right|Animation_of_eruption_from_Tvashtar_Paterae,_taken_from_imagery_from_the_New Horizons probe in 2007]

Tvashtar Paterae compose an active volcanic region of Jupiter's moon Io located near the moon's north pole. It is a series of paterae, or volcanic craters. It is named after Tvashtar, the Hindu god of blacksmiths.cite web | title=US Geological Planetary Nomenclature | url=http://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/jsp/FeatureTypesData2.jsp?systemID=5&bodyID=7&typeID=30&system=Jupiter&body=Io&type=Patera,%20paterae&sort=AName&show=Fname&show=Lat&show=Long&show=Diam&show=Stat&show=Orig | accessmonthday=July 20 | accessyear=2006 ] Tvashtar was studied by the Galileo spacecraft over several years. During this time, a 25 km long, 1 to 2 km high curtain of lava was seen to erupt from one patera, a lake of superheated silicate lava erupted in the largest patera, and finally a plume of gas burst out, rising 385 km above the moon and blanketing areas as far away as 700 km.cite web | title=University of Arizona Planetary Image Research Laboratory May 28, 2002 Report on Tvashtar Paterae | url=http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/missions/Galileo/releases/28May_i32tvashtar.html | accessmonthday=July 20 | accessyear=2006 ]

An eruption on Tvashtar on February 26 2007 was photographed by the New Horizons probe as it went past Jupiter "en route" to Pluto. The probe observed an enormous 290 km (180 miles) high plume from the volcano, with an as-yet unexplained filamentary structure made clearly visible by the background light from the sun. [ [http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/gallery/missionPhotos/pages/022707_1.html Mission Photos: An Eruption on Io] (New Horizons) Retrieved on February 28 2007.]

ee also

*Volcanoes on other planetary bodies

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