Why have I heard so much about Jupiter's moon Europa?

Question

It is so popular. (Not homework.)

Answer 1

It is NOT the only moon to have an atmosphere. Of the 163 planetary moons, seven have an atmosphere: Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, Enceladus and Triton.

The reasin why people have got interested in Europa is similar to the reason people have become interested in the feasibly habitable exoplanet Gliese 581c: the possibility of extra-terrestrial life and our not being alone in the universe.

That idea is very attractive. And wouldn't it be nice if we were to find out what life lurks beneath that icy crust by 2010, 400 years after Europa's discovery?

Proof of the idea that we are not alone in the universe (if it were to be forthcoming) would ignite a huge interest in astronomy after all those misplaced hopes pinned on Martian "canals".

HEAT

My first thought when I heard of this was that the moon was too cold to maintain liquid water: The temperature on the surface of Europa averages about 110 K (-163 °C) at the equator and only 50 K (-223 °C) at the poles, and so the surface water ice is permanently frozen.

But it seems that tidal locking causes heat to transfer from Jupiter to Europa:

Wikipedia explains:

"Europa strives to assume a slightly elongated shape pointing towards Jupiter in response to the tidal force of the giant planet; because different parts of Europa end up being on different points of this departure from sphericity at varying times, the crust flexes up and down.

This motion dissipates energy from Jupiter's rotation into Europa (tidal heating), giving the moon a source of heat and energy, allowing the subsurface ocean to stay liquefied. "

ATMOSPHERE

In 1994, observations with the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph of the Hubble Space Telescope revealed that Europa has a very tenuous atmosphere (1 micropascal surface pressure) composed mostly of molecular oxygen (O2).

Of all the moons in the solar system only six others (Io, Callisto, Enceladus, Ganymede, Titan and Triton) are known to have atmospheres.

Unlike the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere, Europa's is not of biological origin. It is most likely generated by charged particles (ions and electrons) hitting Europa's icy surface, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen escapes Europa's gravity due to its low atomic mass, leaving the oxygen behind.

POSSIBLE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL LIFE

Life in such an ocean could possibly be similar to life on Earth's deep oceanIt has been suggested that life may exist in this under-ice ocean, perhaps subsisting in an environment similar to Earth's deep-ocean hydrothermal vents or the Antarctic Lake Vostok. Life in such an ocean could possibly be similar to life on earth in the deep ocean.

So far, there is no evidence that life exists on Europa but due to the likely presence of liquid water there are proposals to send a probe there.

Robert Pappalardo, an assistant professor within the University of Colorado's space department, said "We’ve spent quite a bit of time and effort trying to understand was Mars once a habitable environment. Europa today, probably, is a habitable environment. We need to confirm this […] but Europa, potentially, has all the ingredients for life […] and not just four billion years ago […] but today".

However, recent budget cuts have prevented proposed missions to search for life. And that everpresent constraint on scientific enquiry can be expected to bedevil progress. It may need a Richard Branson to step in, though it may not be practical to take Professor Hawking along on this trip!

Answer 2

Nasa is making plans to extra effective pass to and come across the moon. frequently by ability of robotic. travelling jupiter is basically impossible. this is basically too extensive. The atomospheric rigidity is so great that our lander may well be overwhelmed interior the previous we even made it to the fairly floor of Jupiter. the optimal appropriate we are able to do is fly by ability of and learn it with satellites. Europa... nicely, this is as far-off as jupiter, being that it one among Jupiters moons. So commute might take an prolonged time. yet Nasa has studied Europa indoors the previous and is on the instantaneous scheduled to launch a clean project to the moon in 2020. The strange element approximately that moon is it fairly is the only distinctive celestrial physique to have an ecosystem made from frequently oxygen! How exciting. Europa is fairly small, fairly a tiny bit smaller than our moon. One undesirable element approximately Europa is this is has a radiation factor on the floor it is so extreme that could kill a human. and of path is an particularly chilly there. -a hundred and seventy C yet I constantly say, under no circumstances underestimate the certainty of mankind. Who is familiar with of, probably some day will might verify a thank you to colonize it.

Answer 3

Europa is frequently mentioned because scientists believe it is one of the best candidates in the solar system to contain extraterrestrial life. Europa is made largely of water ice, and its tidal interactions with Jupiter may be heating it from within. This might make it possible for the satellite to host aquatic life forms deep below the surface, not unlike thermal vent communities on Earth.

Answer 4

It has a thick layer of ice, under which is liquid water. Possibly heated up by thermal vents. (We have simlar vents in our oceans.) Thermal vents could be oasis' in their sea which could potentially contain lifeforms. It is the best source for current extraterrestrial life. Although Mars may still support some life at it's poles or underground lakes. Check out some Arthur C Clarke books like 2010, 2061, or 3001. They all deal with life on Europa. Awesome books too. It'll keep you reading!

Answer 5

Its surface is among the brightest in the solar system, a consequence of sunlight reflecting off a relatively young icy crust. Its face is also among the smoothest, lacking the heavily cratered appearance characteristic of Callisto and Ganymede. Europa's crust was composed of water and ice.
Discovered by Simon Marius & Galileo Galilei
Date of discovery 1610
Mass (kg) 4.8e+22
Mass (Earth = 1) 8.0321e-03
Equatorial radius (km) 1,569
Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) 2.4600e-01
Mean density (gm/cm^3) 3.01
Mean distance from Jupiter (km) 670,900
Rotational period (days) 3.551181
Orbital period (days) 3.551181
Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) 13.74
Orbital eccentricity 0.009
Orbital inclination (degrees) 0.470
Escape velocity (km/sec) 2.02
Visual geometric albedo 0.64
Magnitude (Vo) 5.29

Answer 6

It's the only moon in the solar system which has its own atmosphere, and there's also the suspicion that there may be liquid methane or water on its surface. This means that there is the possibility of primitive life on Europa.

Answer 7

It may contain seas under its ice surface. The seas could harbour life!!