europa moon life

Europa is 1 900 miles 3 100 km in diameter making it smaller than earth s moon but larger than pluto.

Europa moon life. Europa may be the most promising place in our solar system to find present day environments suitable for some form of life beyond earth. The information about europa that galileo sent was so intriguing that the mission was extended to make a total of 12 close flybys of the icy moon. Europa lander is a concept for a potential future mission that would look for signs of life in the icy surface material of jupiter s moon europa. Europa j ʊ ˈ r oʊ p ə or jupiter ii is the smallest of the four galilean moons orbiting jupiter and the sixth closest to the planet of all the 79 known moons of jupiter it is also the sixth largest moon in the solar system europa was discovered in 1610 by galileo galilei and was named after europa the phoenician mother of king minos of crete and lover of zeus the greek.

Callisto k ə ˈ l ɪ s t oʊ or jupiter iv is the second largest moon of jupiter after ganymede it is the third largest moon in the solar system after ganymede and saturn s largest moon titan and the largest object in the solar system that may not be properly differentiated callisto was discovered in 1610 by galileo galilei at 4821 km in diameter callisto has about 99 the diameter. The moon is thought to contain a global ocean of salty liquid water beneath its frozen crust and if life exists in that ocean signs of its existence called biosignatures could potentially find. Slightly smaller than earth s moon europa s water ice surface is crisscrossed by long linear fractures cracks ridges and bands. Nasa s europa clipper will conduct detailed reconnaissance of jupiter s moon europa and investigate whether the icy moon could harbor conditions suitable for life.

The mission will place a spacecraft in orbit around jupiter in order to perform a detailed investigation of europa a world that shows strong evidence for an ocean of liquid water. Tidal heating could be powering a system that cycles water and nutrients between the moon s rocky interior ice shell and ocean creating a watery environment rich with chemistry conducive to life. 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. Europa s surface is made of water ice and so it reflects 5 5 times the sunlight than our moon does.