Europa - Jupiter's moon

--------- #1361 - Europe - Jupiter’s Moon

- Attachment: Europa image

- Europa is one of 4 moons you can easily see with binoculars as they orbit the planet Jupiter. The 4 moons are in perfectly synchronous orbits. Io , the inner moon orbits 4 times, to Europa’s 2 times, to Ganymede’s 1 time.. With a brightness Magnitude of 5.0 some people claim to even see Jupiter’s moons with the naked eye. Most of us need a brightness Magnitude of 6.0 for naked eye viewing.

--------------------------------------------- Diameter ----------------- Compare to Moon

--------------------- Io ----------------- 2,262 miles ----------------- 210%
--------------------- Europa ------------- 1,944 miles ----------------- 180%
--------------------- Ganymede -------- 3.272 miles ----------------- 300%
--------------------- Callisto ------------ 2,985 miles ----------------- 277%
　
- Europa’s surface has ever changing boundary lines of floating ice sheets with water oozing though the cracks from the salty oceans below.

- Io has more tidal forces to deal with Jupiter’s immense gravity because it is closest. Its surface changes with non-stop volcanic action. Europa is 1,940 miles in diameter, a little farther away, and its dynamics are not volcanoes but water-ice geysers.

- Europa has no atmosphere to carry water vapor. The sunlight is 25 times less than we receive on Earth. Its surface temperature averages -300 F. How can liquid water exist there?

- Floating ice on the surface provides the pressure to the liquid below. The ice cap also separates the liquid water from the vacuum of space above. The tidal forces of Jupiter’s gravity constantly twist and distort the mantel below the liquid water. The flexing and friction generates a constant internal heat to keep the water liquid.

- Water pools have been detected that are under the surface and the size of the U.S. Great Lakes. Warm, pure ice rises through the surface crust reaching a contaminated layer one mile below the surface. That dirty layer then thaws forming a lens-shaped lake that cracks the weakened ice below. Water pushes up through the cracks, fracturing, and rearranging the surface ice. Eventually the pocket refreezes raising the terrain above surrounding the area with expanding ice.

- Astronomers expect Europa’s icy crust to host many of these enormous lakes below the surface. The lakes are actively sending materials from the surface seeding depths below with compounds from comets. The same compounds needed for life on Earth. Hydrothermal vents may also be heating the oceans from below.

- Jupiter is 318 times more massive than Earth It is constantly attracting comets which collide with its moons. Over 4 billion years these comets have delivered elements to Europa’s oceans much the same as comets delivered elements to our oceans. Conclusion: Other than Earth, Europa may be the likeliest place to harbor life in our Solar System.

- More space exploration of Europa is bound to bring some surprises. An announcement will be made shortly, stay tuned.

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Other reviews:
- #1152 - Europa, Jupiter’s Moon Supports Life?
- #812 - The Icy Moons of Jupiter
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707-536-3272, Thursday, December 29, 2011