This image, acquired by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on February
22, 2000, is the highest resolution image ever taken of Io. The
resolution is 5.2 meters (18 feet) per picture element. Galileo
viewed the surface obliquely, tilted 72 degrees from straight
overhead. Illumination is from the lower right, but the
topographic shading is difficult to see because of the strong
contrasts in brightness of the surface materials. The bright
areas are generally higher in elevation than adjacent dark
areas. The surface appears to have been eroded by an unknown
process, in places exposing layers of bright and dark material.
Evaporation of solid ice may also play a role in separating the
bright and dark materials. North is toward the upper right. Also
shown is a version of this image processed to give a bird's-eye
view over the terrain. This image maps out the true distribution
of bright and dark surface materials. The Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office
of Space Science, Washington, D