OCCULTATIONS OF IO IN 1997-1998 - PREDICTIONS FOR THE OBSERVATIONS OFHOT-SPOTS

The space probe Voyager discovered an intense volcanism on Io, the fir st Galilean satellite of Jupiter, in 1979. The series of Io's occultat ions by the other Galilean satellites occurring in 1997-1998 presents an excellent opportunity to observe the hot spots. It will allow the d etailed study of the thermal emission from Io's hot spots as well as t he precise determination of their location on its surface. This paper provides the predictions of 79 occultations of Io and gives informatio n on the geometric circumstances of the occultations of the volcanoes Loki, Pele, Kanehekili, and Ra Patera. (C) 1997 Academic Press.