Europa
Europa is one of Jupiter's moons, notable for its potential to harbor life due to the presence of an ocean beneath its icy surface. Here are some detailed facts and context about Europa:
Discovery and Naming
- Discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610 along with three other major moons of Jupiter, collectively known as the Galilean moons.
- Named after Europa from Greek mythology, who was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull.
Physical Characteristics
- Size: Europa has a diameter of approximately 3,121.6 kilometers, making it slightly smaller than Earth's moon.
- Mass: Its mass is about 0.008 times that of Earth.
- Surface: The surface of Europa is smooth with a bright, reflective ice crust composed mainly of water ice, with a reddish-brownish tint from non-ice materials.
- Atmosphere: Very thin, primarily composed of oxygen.
Subsurface Ocean
- Europa is believed to have a subsurface ocean of liquid water, possibly 60-150 kilometers deep, beneath its ice crust.
- The ocean is kept warm by tidal heating due to Europa's eccentric orbit around Jupiter, which causes flexing and friction in the moon's interior.
Potential for Life
- The existence of water, heat from tidal flexing, and potential chemical nutrients from the moon's rocky interior could provide conditions suitable for life.
- NASA's Europa Clipper mission, planned for launch in the mid-2020s, aims to study Europa's habitability by analyzing its ice, water, and potential plumes of water vapor erupting from the surface.
Exploration
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