Io: Observational constraints on internal energy and thermophysics of the surface

Infrared observations of the Io eclipse of 12 April 1980 in five broad bands from 3 to 30 μm define the thermal emission spectrum both during and after eclipse. A substantial fraction of the emitted radiation during eclipse arises from hot spots; the equivalent global average heat flow is 1.5 ± 0.3 W m^?2, corresponding to an internal source of (6 ± 1) × 10¹³ W. The hot spot spectra can be matched by components with color temperatures of 200–600°K covering 1–2% of the surface. Comparison with observations over the past 8 years suggests that, while the flux at the hottest temperatures may be highly variable, there is no evidence for major changes in the total heat flow, which is emitted primarily in the spectral region 10–20 μm. The heating curves of the surface were observed at 10 and 20 μm; when corrected for the hot spot contribution they indicate a typical global thermal inertia for Io of $\text{(0.2 ± 0.1) × 10}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}\text{cal cm}{}^{\mathrm{?2}}\text{sec}\text{?}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{K}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}$, similar to that of the other Galilean satellites.