Why Should We Explore Jupiter’s Moon Europa?

On Earth we have one moon to look at during the night. Can you imagine looking at 50 or 60 moons at night? If we lived on Jupiter, that’s what we would see! Jupiter has 50 definite moons. There are 17 moons scientists are still examining to make sure that they are moons. Some are smaller than 1.5 miles in diameter! Jupiter’s four largest moons, and four first discovered, are known as the Galilean moons, named after their discoverer Galileo Galilee in 1610.

Galileo spacecraft first discovered the four largest moon of Jupiter, called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System Atmosphere And Planetary Composition: Temperature Range: The cloud-tops average 120 K=153*C=-244*F. Atmosphere: Jupiter is a gaseous planet; it does not have a solid surface like the Earth does (but probably has a solid, rocky core 10 to 15 times the mass of the Earth). When we look at Jupiter, we are seeing icy clouds of gases moving at high speeds in the atmosphere. Jupiter's atmosphere is composed of about 90% hydrogen and 10% helium.

Serves as a model for what are known as water-world extrasolar planets with a deep liquid ocean that doesn’t contact the silicate underneath due to a layer of ice.

Since Europa is Jupiter’s moon, it is orbiting Jupiter. Europa is made out of silicate rock and is grooved out with cracks and streaks. The crust of this moon is frozen which is covered in ice. The density is 3.01 g/cm3 which would

James Green discusses in his speech the possibility of there being life beyond earth. Green starts off with a quote that is used in a lot of movies, books and television shows, “Is there life beyond earth in our solar system?” He follows this initial quote with one by Carl Sagan, an American astronomer, “It takes extraordinary evidence for extraordinary claims.” It is important for Green to use these two quotes as attention getters. He hooks the listener with his works and we begin to think if there really is life in our solar system then just on earth.

Exobiology is the science that is concerned with the search for life in outer space; it may be called as astrobiology as well. The search for life in outer space has consumed the imagination of the humankind for long time ago. Nowadays, humankind has made a progress and found major discoveries in the quest for life existence in the universe and outer space because of the advancement of the technology. However, in the past, exobiology was considered as a science without a subject, where the people and other scientists laughed at and ridiculed the famous scientist and biologist Joshua Lederberg when he originated the term exobiology. Some people argue that life exists elsewhere in the universe, however, others believe that life only exist on Earth. A new study reveals that our galaxy, the Milky Way, has 100 billion or so stars, where 17 billion of them are Earth-size alien planets, and probably many more. The huge size of the galaxy increases the probability of life existence in the outer space. Are we alone in the universe? This question has captured the imaginations of scientist, theologians, and astrobiologists. However, they don’t know the answer yet. Understanding the complete definition of life and how life originated, and determining the techniques used for searching for life existence in outer space and evidences found can help to answer the question of “Are we alone in the universe?”

In 1610 on the 7th of January four moons, called the Galilean moons were discovered by Galileo Galilei. Using his homemade telescope he observed them for many nights, he drew notes and recorded the movement in a journal (Figure 3). Ganymede is one of the largest, most well-known moons of Jupiter and it is also the largest satellite in our solar system. It is larger than Mercury and Pluto, and three quarters the size of Mars. If Ganymede didn’t orbit Jupiter as moon it would easily be classified as a planet.

and identified how it changed as the Earth warmed. It suggests a massive reorganisation of ocean

Being the the seventh planet and nearly twenty astronomical units from the sun, it is expected for it it to be very cold on Uranus. The average temperature is negative 350 degrees Farenheit. This knowledge disproves the idea of water or life on this planet, but it did aid in the discovery of Uranus's icy rings in 1977. Voyager 2 found ten moons and two more rings in 1986. There are currently twenty-seven moons that have been discovered. Before Voyager 2, we knew of the five largest moons which are the following: Titania, Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, and

It is not as noticeable and is mostly composed of icy-rocks. These rings include Jupiter’s 67 moons, including the Galilean Moons discovered by Galileo. Io is the closest Galilean moon to orbit Jupiter and with more than 400 active volcanos, it is the most active body within the solar system. Due to the heat and activity from the moon, it is similar to Earth when it was in the same state. It is also the 4th largest moon in the solar system. Europa is the second closest Galilean moon to Jupiter and is thought to have liquid water. No research materials have been sent to Europa so the water theory may be wrong, but if it is right, it has a possibility of maintaining microbial life. Ganymede is the third closest Galilean Moon and is the biggest moon in the solar system, even bigger than the planet Mercury. It is an ice moon with little activity yet is the only moon to have a magnetosphere. Callisto is the Galilean moon farthest away from Jupiter and also the 3rd largest moon within the solar system. It is mostly composed of ice and rock and perhaps has a deep surface with liquid water. Since it is the farthest moon from Jupiter and its radioactivity, it is thought that it could one day be occupied by humans to study Jupiter from afar. Jupiter has 63 other moons, but they are mostly small

Thought the history and as Science has developed exponentially, we the human beings have found answers through the scientific perspective to most of our reality. Although there are still, many things to be discovered and proved. One of this and most important the explanation here in this letter, is the conception of life in our planet. We can go back to any time in

Explanation (20 min): Lecture about the locations of the Earth's oceans and the compositions. Watch video about the oceans (5 min). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTgPgIc1PXg&nohtml5=False

Uncovering the mysteries of Jupiter is a crucial step for a greater understanding of our Solar System. Being the massive planet that it is, this mysterious planet may hold many answers to how our the Solar System formed and evolved. The understanding of the origins of the universe includes answers even to the formation of Earth itself. Many believe that the research of Jupiter will lead to discoveries on planet formation and the role of giant planets on the formation f stars and other smaller bodies. Mysteries of Jupiter include its composition, what is under its clouds, what is in its core and its magnetic field. Research on the amount of water in the planet will tell us about the

Right alongside the fifth and largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, orbits a moon only about the same size as Earth’s moon. On this moon, is an icy surface that scientists are trying to uncover. Due to the presence of what they believe to be water, there is the possibility of life on this moon named Europa.

Europa is the sixth of Jupiter's moons and the fourth largest. Europa is named after a Phoenician princess who was abducted by Zeus and taken to the island of Crete to be his lover. Europa was discovered by Galileo Galilei and possibly Simon Marius in 1610 and is one of the four Galilean satellites. The others being: Io, Ganymede, and Callisto. Europa is very different from the other moons of Jupiter. Instead of a rocky, cratered surface like Callisto and Ganymede, it instead has a smooth outer surface of cracked ice. There are very few sign of craters on Europa. In fact, only three large craters have been found. This indicates that Europa's surface is very young and active. In photographs sent back by orbiters, the surface resembles sea ice on Earth. Astronomers believe that beneath this layer of ice may exist an ocean, kept liquid by the moon's internal heat. This liquid ocean could be as much as 30 miles deep. The existence of deep ocean vents on the ocean floor on Earth have led some scientists to speculate that there could be a possibility of life on Europa. Around these deep sea vents on Earth are life forms that do not need sunlight to survive. They instead feed on bacteria that get their nutrients from chemicals seeping up from the ocean floor. This process is known as chemosynthesis. Scientists believe that similar life forms could evolve on Europa if a liquid ocean does indeed exist beneath its frozen surface.