File talk:Tidal heating on Io.png

Misleading Diagram
The purpose of the diagram seems to be one of illustrating a claim ("Io experiences more tidal heating than the Moon due to higher eccentricity") which is false.

This diagram is misleading, insofar as it suggests that the eccentricity of Io's orbit is larger than the eccentricity of the orbit Earth's Moon, when, in fact, the reverse is true. The orbit of Earth's Moon (e=0.0549) is over 10 times larger than the eccentricity of the orbit of Io (e=0.0041).

Eccentricity does not explain why Io experiences more tidal heating; that appears likely to be due to factors such as Io's short orbital period, Jupiter's high gravitational field, and the low viscosity of the subsurface ocean.

Although I trust that the creation of the diagram was well-intentioned, I suggest discontinuing its use and finding a more suitable illustration to replace it.

Rhwentworth (talk) 19:59, 26 March 2023 (UTC)