Is the moon Europa covered in ice?
Europa’s surface is made of water ice and so it reflects 5.5 times the sunlight than our Moon does. Europa orbits Jupiter at about 417,000 miles (671,000 kilometers) from the planet, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of roughly 500 million miles (780 million kilometers), or 5.2 astronomical units (AU).
How cold is Europa Jupiter’s moon?
Europa’s surface temperature averages about 110 K (−160 °C; −260 °F) at the equator and only 50 K (−220 °C; −370 °F) at the poles, keeping Europa’s icy crust as hard as granite.
What causes the cracked surface ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa?
According to researcher Gregory Hoppa the curved cracks on Europa are caused by its orbit being slightly excentric due to the influence of Io and Ganymede (other moons of Jupiter). When Europa is farther, the tides fall because Jupiter’s force falls. This causes Europa’s ice shell to flex.”
What is so special about Europa Jupiter’s moon?
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa withstands a similar trouncing – along with a punch of super-intense radiation. As the uppermost surface of the icy moon churns, material brought to the surface is zapped by high-energy electron radiation accelerated by Jupiter.
Is Jupiter’s moon Europa habitable?
‘Europa is one of the best candidates for habitability because the liquid water is in direct contact with the silicate mantle. ‘ Another important factor regarding the habitability of the moons is how much radiation from Jupiter is hitting them.
What if Europa was Earth’s moon?
Covered by a thick layer of ice, with water beneath its surface, Europa is the sixth-largest moon in our Solar System. Because of its icy surface, Europa reflects a lot of sunlight, making it very, very bright. Plus, if we moved Europa to our current Moon’s spot, it would be millions of kilometers closer to the Sun.
Can you breathe on Europa?
Europa has a thin oxygen atmosphere, but it is far too tenuous for humans to breathe. Europa’s magnetic field shields its surface from Jupiter’s deadly radiation.
How thick is the ice on Europa?
around 15 to 25 kilometers
Theory and observation indicate that Europa’s icy shell is around 15 to 25 kilometers (10 to 15 miles) thick, overlying an ocean approximately 60-150 kilometers (40 to 100 miles) deep. Support for this hypothesis comes from observations of pits, domes, and spots on Europa’s surface.
Does Europa have fresh water?
Scientists are almost certain that hidden beneath the icy surface of Europa is a saltwater ocean thought to contain about twice as much water as Earth’s global ocean. Slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon, Europa’s water-ice surface is crisscrossed by long, linear fractures, cracks, ridges and bands.
Does Titan Moon have water?
It is the sole other place in the solar system known to have an earthlike cycle of liquids raining from clouds, flowing across its surface, filling lakes and seas, and evaporating back into the sky (akin to Earth’s water cycle). Titan is also thought to have a subsurface ocean of water.
Is the water on Jupiter’s moon Europa cold?
Jupiter’s moon Europa is one of those places. It is a long way from the Sun—more than five times farther than the distance between Earth and the Sun. It is so cold on Europa that water on the surface of the moon is frozen as hard as rock. We can usually crack our Earth’s winter ice with an ice pick.
What kind of ice is on the moon Europa?
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona The frigid ice of Jupiter’s moon Europa may be hiding more than a presumed ocean: it is likely the scene of some unexpectedly fast chemistry between water and sulfur dioxide at extremely cold temperatures.
Is the equator of Europa covered with ice?
(Image: © NASA/Ted Stryk) THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The equator of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may be covered with huge spikes of ice, scientists say. Astronomers have known for some time that Jupiter’s moon Europa is icy, and now scientists are trying to understand just what form that ice takes by using some of the coldest places on Earth as analogues.
Where are the spikes of ice on Europa?
Europa, as viewed from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft. Visible are plains of bright ice, cracks that run to the horizon, and dark patches that likely contain both ice and dirt. THE WOODLANDS, Texas — The equator of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may be covered with huge spikes of ice, scientists say.