Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Io (moon)

The following is an archived discussion of a featured article nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The article was promoted 16:08, 30 July 2007.

[edit] Io (moon)

FARC; if repromoted, re-categorize at WP:FFA, has been on main page

previous FAC

User:Volcanopele has done an excellent job in bringing this article back up to code. It has completed its scienfitific peer reviw is, I think, ready for FA reconsideration. Serendipodous 13:30, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

• Fixes needed Support - looks good but prose needs tweaking - a few so far: cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 03:35, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*remove 2nd "is" from first sentence in lead.

• iron-sulfide - remove dash

• This extreme geologic activity is the result of tidal heating, with friction generated within Io's interior by Jupiter's varying pull on Io. Several of Io's volcanoes produce volcanic plumes of sulfur and sulfur dioxide that climb as high as 500 km (310 mi). Io's surface is also dotted with more than 100 mountains that have been uplifted by extensive compression at the base of Io's silicate crust. - erm, there are 5 mentions of Io here which are a little jarring. I'd try:

"This extreme geologic activity is the result of tidal heating from friction generated deep within Io by Jupiter's varying pull. Several volcanoes produce plumes of sulfur and sulfur dioxide that climb as high as 500 km (310 mi). Io's surface is also dotted with more than 100 mountains that have been uplifted by extensive compression at the base of the silicate crust."

All three fixed. Added "at the base of the moon's silicate crust." --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*Io's volcanism is responsible for many of that satellite's unique features. Io's plumes.. - try "This volcanism is responsible for many of that satellite's unique features. Io's plumes.."

Since this is the start of a new paragraph, how about "Io's volcanism is responsible for many of that satellite's unique features. Its volcanic plumes..." --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• Io's plumes and lava flows (produce large surface changes, and) paint the surface in various shades of red, yellow, white, black, and green, largely due to the sulfurous compounds. - I'd remove bracketed bit as it is redundant as well as a bit clunky.

Clunky but we should make it clear here about how these volcanoes produce large surface changes. Maybe this is covered elsewhere in the lead section. In other words, not just say that these areas are painted. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

fair enough - some of these ideas can be tricky :). cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• These volcanic processes have given rise to a comparison of the visual appearance of Io's surface to a pizza. - "The resulting landscape has been compared with a pizza"

This I am a little worried about. We should make it clear that this is just a visual comparison. It is a popular one and I don't see anything wrong with including it, but I think the clunkiness maybe necessary. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

OK, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*It was discovered, (along with the other Galilean satellites,) in in 1610 by Galileo Galilei. - move bracketed bit to end or remove

Moved to end. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• furthered --> fostered better?

Fostered suggests an active participation, something a discovery can't do. A scientists, a "discoverer" can foster, not a discovery. Though I think the changes in that sentence since the last time I made a pass through this section need to be fixed, even if I don't think changing furthered to fostered is the proper fix. The first two relate to theories that were either developed or gained support thanks to the discovery of Io. The third relates to a measurement made using Io. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Again, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• (From Earth,) Io remained nothing... - I'd remove bracketed bit as it is redundant

Hmm, could be. I haven't changed to this since I am not as sure, that while it maybe a bit redundant, that it is better prose without it. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Again, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• Shouldn't the 3 lists under Name be listed under surface instead?

The name section has come to include both info on the name of the satellite and the names used for surface features. I think it is appropriate to link to lists of surface feature names in this section. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Again, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*..from Dante's Inferno, names which .. - replace this comma with a semicolon

Are you sure about that? I removed "which are" though. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*The approved feature types used for Io include: Patera (volcanic depressions), Mons, Mensa, Planum, and Tholus (mountains, with morphologic characteristics, like size, shape, and height, determining the term used), Fluctus (lava flows), Vallis (lava channels), Regio (large-scale, albedo features), and Active eruptive centers (locations where plume activity was the first sign of volcanic activity at a particular volcano) - I'd italicize the latin terms here.

Okay, I guess isolated like this they could be. I have italicized them. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• ..in March 1610. - bit repetitive sounding - maybe drop the year

I'd prefer to keep it in. 1610 isn't used a lot in that section, so it isn't that redundant. It makes it clearer as to which March is being referred to since the section covers an extensive period of time. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Again, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*To follow up on the discoveries of the two Voyager probes and ground-based observations taken in the intervening years, the Galileo spacecraft arrived at Jupiter in 1995 after a six-year journey from Earth. - I'd move the whole first clause to the end of the sentence and remove the need for a comma.

Makes sense. You can follow the sentence a bit better that way. Fixed. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

*)For example,) Galileo observed the effects.. - I'd remove bracketed bit

Fixed. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• After residing an average of 40 days in the torus... --> residing recalls anthropomorphism - "remaining"?

Can't blame an editor for trying to mix up the word usage ;) It is a wee bit anthropomorphic, but it does fit within the definition given by M-W Online for Reside. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Again, not a deal-breaker. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• The plasma torus emits light at ultraviolet wavelengths, allowing researchers to monitor variations (in the plasma torus). - this bracketed bit redundant

How about this rearrangement: "To study similar variations within the plasma torus, researchers measure the ultraviolet-wavelength light it emits". It reduces the redundancy and it makes the sentence fit in more with sentences before and after it. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Good save. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

* I think linking "Zg" would be prudent.

Yeah... I have converted that to kg. This isn't 1500 BC, people aren't scared of big numbers anymore. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• Io has a density of 3.5275 grams per cubic centimeter, the highest of any moon in the Solar System, significantly higher than the other Galilean satellites (,) and (higher than the) Earth's moon - bracketed bits redundant

hmm, but that would would make it sound as if Io's density is significantly greater than the moon's, when it isn't (3.5275 vs. 3.346). --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Yeah - good point - hadn't noticed. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• First para of Surface section has no inline cites.

You're right. I will try to fix that tomorrow (it is a little to late to go digging up references...) --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Refs added to that section. --Volcanopele 21:36, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

• "mafic" and "ultramafic" need linking

Where do you see that they aren't? The first instance, in Volcanism, I see has them linked. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

My bad. Didn't see them there - Oops. cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 06:01, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Good luck - these are all easily fixed an' then yer over the line cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 05:19, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you for your comments. I have replied to these above. --Volcanopele 05:39, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

• Support with comments. Overall a fine article and an enjoyable read. I have a few comments that I hope can be addressed:
  • The following sentence is somewhat unclear to me: "Over a 20-hour period, these particles form a banana-shaped neutral cloud that can reach as far as 6 Jovian radii from Io, either inside Io's orbit and ahead of the satellite or outside Io's orbit and behind the satellite." So is there a cyclical process at work? Otherwise, what is the significance of the 20-hour period? Does the banana-shaped cloud oscillate back and forth?
  • "quadrupole gravitational coefficients" is unexplained jargon.
  • In the "Tidal Heating" section, you could mention where the energy comes from to maintain the tidal dissipation? I.e. is it from a net change in the resonant satellite orbital periods? Perhaps from a change in Jovian rotation? It must come from somewhere, but it's not really clear from the article.

  Thank you. — RJH (talk) 17:00, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Thanks your your support. I have added some text that I think should help to explain the first two points: "Over a 20-hour period, these particles spread out from Io to form a banana-shaped neutral cloud that can reach as far as 6 Jovian radii from Io,..." and "...measurements of the moon's mass, radius and quadrupole gravitational coefficients (numerical values related to how mass is distributed within an object) suggest that its interior...". As to your third point, the energy comes from Jupiter's gravity attempting to circularize Io's orbit through tidal dissipation. Europa and Ganymede's gravity act to maintain Io's orbital eccentricity, so the tidal dissipation adds energy to Io's interior rather than to orbital circularization. Thus energy is added to Io's interior and removed from Jupiter. --Volcanopele 19:33, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

• Support I did a copy-edit on this a month or two back. It is interesting, comprehensive and well illustrated. Yomangani^talk 11:43, 27 July 2007 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.