If watery plumes do burst from Europa’s surface, they might originate not in the moon’s underground ocean, but instead in pockets of brine trapped in the moon’s crust. If that’s so, it could be a source of frustration for those who want to probe Europa’s ocean for possible life. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/jupiter-moon-europa-plumes-salty-water-in-crust…
Tag: europa
Does Europa glow in the dark?
The icy surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa may glow on its nightside, the side facing away from the sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/jupiter-moon-europa-glows-radiation…
Potential plumes on Europa could come from water in the crust
Plumes of water vapor that may be venting into space from Jupiter’s moon Europa could come from within the icy crust itself, according to new research. A model outlines a process for brine, or salt-enriched water, moving around within the moon’s shell and eventually forming pockets of water—even more concentrated with salt—that could erupt. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-potential-plumes-europa-crust.html…
Researchers model source of eruption on Jupiter’s moon Europa
On Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, powerful eruptions may spew into space, raising questions among hopeful astrobiologists on Earth: What would blast out from miles-high plumes? Could they contain signs of extraterrestrial life? And where in Europa would they originate? A new explanation now points to a source closer to the frozen surface than might be expected. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-source-eruption-jupiter-moon-europa.html…
Europa glows: Radiation does a bright number on Jupiter’s moon
As the icy, ocean-filled moon Europa orbits Jupiter, it withstands a relentless pummeling of radiation. Jupiter zaps Europa’s surface night and day with electrons and other particles, bathing it in high-energy radiation. But as these particles pound the moon’s surface, they may also be doing something otherworldly: making Europa glow in the dark. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-europa-bright-jupiter-moon.html…
How Jupiter’s moon Io gets its hellish atmosphere
Hot, active volcanoes produce almost half of Jupiter’s moon Io’s sulfur atmosphere, according to new observations using the ALMA telescope. The rest comes from cold sulfur deposits that freeze on the surface, then sublimate in sunlight. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/io-sulfur-volcanoes-hot-so2-cold-so2…
Meet the Pi planet. It orbits its star every 3.14 days
In a fun cosmic coincidence, researchers used old Kepler spacecraft data to discover an Earth-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of 3.14 days, a number that matches the mathematical constant pi. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/pi-exoplanet-k2-315b-has-3-14-day-orbit…
Top 4 most promising worlds for alien life in the solar system
Where are the other most promising locations for extraterrestrial life in our solar system? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/et-alien-life-most-likely-worlds-solar-system…
Are there active geysers at Enceladus’ north pole?
Water-vapor geysers erupt from cracks at the south pole of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. Scientists using Cassini data now have evidence for fresh ice at the moon’s north pole, too. Could it be more geysers for this fascinating ice moon? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/fresh-ice-enceladus-north-pole-geologic-activity…
Moon, Jupiter, Saturn in September 2020
Did you miss the moon’s sweep this week past our solar system’s biggest planets, Jupiter and Saturn? Here are a few photos – from the EarthSky Community – of that glorious night sky scene. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photos-moon-jupiter-saturn-in-september-2020…