Does Io have an ammonia atmosphere

Abstract

A number of anomalous or discordant observations of Io can be explained if this Jovian satellite has an atmosphere containing ammonia. Such an atmosphere will be frozen at the unilluminated pole during the solstices, but will evaporate at the equinoctial seasons. The ammonia atmosphere will explain (1) the posteclipse brightenings and their observed times of occurrence and nonoccurrence; (2) the observed departure from a two-layer model heating curve upon emergency from the eclipse; (3) the discordant temperatures obtained at 10 and 20 micrometers; and (4) discordant temperatures obtained at 10 and 20 micrometers during the total phase of an eclipse by Jupiter.