Moons of the Solar System Pt. 2

As we learned in part one of this post, Earth is not the only planet that has moons! Astronomers are always on the lookout for new moons and continue to discover new ones! In this blog we will be learning about the moons of Jupiter! Jupiter has numerous moons but we will be learning about the main four!

Europa

Discovered on January 8, 1610 by Italian astronomer Galileo, Europa is one of the four Galilean Satellites (moons of Jupiter that were discovered by Galileo). It is named after Europa, a woman in Greek Mythology that was abducted by Zeus, who is referred to as Jupiter in Roman Mythology. Europa orbits Jupiter once every 3.5 days “and is locked by gravity to Jupiter, so the same hemisphere of the moon always faces the planet” (NASA, n.a.), similar to how our Moon orbits the Earth. In addition, scientists theorize that Europa may have suitable conditions for life. We know that life has “​​three main requirements: liquid water, the appropriate chemical elements, and an energy source” (NASA, a.a.). As far as we know Europa has liquid water and the appropriate chemicals but we have not been able to confirm an energy source. But scientists continue to explore Europa and if they do find life there, it would change how we look at not just Europa but the cosmos as a whole.

Io

Another part of the Galilean Satellites, Io was also discovered January 8, 1610 by Gailieo and is named after a mortal woman from Greek mythology. Io is the most “volcanically active world in the whole solar system, with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting lava fountains dozens of miles (or kilometers) high”(NASA, n.a.). This is because of the powerful gravitational pull between Jupiter, Europa, and Ganymede that it experiences. As for the possibility of life on Io scientists consider it very highly unlikely due to the moon’s volcanic surface. But this does not mean Io is not important, because it can still teach us invaluable information about the universe!

Ganymede

The third part of the Galilean Satellites, Ganymede was discovered on January 7, 1610 by Galileo. Its size is so large that it is larger than Mercury and Pluto, making it the largest moon in our solar system. Named after the young boy from Greek mythology, Ganymede “is proving to be a fascinating world” (NASA, n.a.). In fact, the Hubble Space Telescope has found evidence of Ganymede having an “underground saltwater ocean” (NASA, n.a.). As we mentioned before, water is one of the three necessary components for life. That makes this discovery a crucial step in our search for life as we know it on other planets and worlds in the universe.

Callisto

Callisto, discovered January 7, 1610, is the final part of the Galilean Satellites. It was considered very ordinary by many in the past because it didn’t have any immediate apparent features that set it apart from the rest. But scientists later on found that it may be harboring a secret beneath its ordinary exterior. In the 1990’s scientists found data from the Galileo spacecraft that showed that “Callisto may have a salty ocean beneath its surface” (NASA, n.a.). This changed everyone’s perception of the moon that they once deemed dull and sparked an interest in studying more about it. The possibility that there may have been an ocean on the surface of Callisto opens a whole new world of potential discoveries. It could lead to the discovery of life and give us more insight into the history of Callisto or even Jupiter. You may think, “This moon looks nothing like Earth, how could we live there?”, but Callisto, along with Ganymede and Europa, are habitable in their own way causing them to be a great topic of interest for astronomers.

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Thank you for reaching the end of this blog! We hope you learned something new about some of the moons of the Solar System. Be sure to like, comment, and share! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us by going to the Contact Form located at the top right. Follow us on Instagram for more content! And as always, keep gazing skywards!

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Bibliography:

"In Depth | Callisto – NASA Solar System Exploration." NASA Solar System Exploration,

solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/callisto/in-depth/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2022.

"In Depth | Ganymede – NASA Solar System Exploration." NASA Solar System Exploration,

solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/ganymede/in-depth/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2022.

"Io." NASA Solar System Exploration, solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/io/overview/. Accessed 28 Aug.

2022.

NASA. (n.d.). Europa Clipper. NASA. Retrieved September 4, 2022, from

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/europa-clipper

NASA. "Europa." NASA Solar System Exploration, solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/jupiter-moons/europa/in-depth/.

Accessed 28 Aug. 2022.