Mid-infrared observations of Io’s volcanism from the ground in 2011 and 2012

We report the latest volcanic activity on Io based on our ground-based observations made in 2011 and 2012 using just a 1-m telescope, at 8.9 μm where Io’s thermal radiation dominates solar reflected light seen at shorter wavelengths. A particular result from these observations is that the power we detected from a bright hotspot at the longitude of 282±18°282±18°, perhaps Daedalus Patera, was ∼1013 (W) which is comparable to that of Loki Patera, the most powerful volcanic hotspot on Io. We conclude this hotspot is one of the most powerful volcanic hotspots on Io, but its activation is not as frequent as Loki Patera.