Europa Moon

In Context 

• Recently, a team of researchers from Stanford University concluded that Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is a prime candidate to find life in this solar system. 

Major Points 

• It is noted that there might be an abundance of water pockets beneath formations called double ridges.
  • The double ridges are most common on Europa’s surface and are similar to those seen on Earth’s Greenland ice sheet .

About Europa

• Europa is named for a woman who, in Greek mythology, was abducted by the god Zeus – Jupiter in Roman mythology.
• Europa orbits Jupiter every 3.5 days and is locked by gravity to Jupiter, so the same hemisphere of the moon always faces the planet.
  • Jupiter’s moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede.

• Europa is slightly smaller than Earth’s moon and its diameter is about one-quarter that of the Earth. 

• Even though Europa has a very thin oxygen atmosphere, it is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to find present-day environments that are suitable for life beyond the Earth.
• It is also believed that underneath Europa’s icy surface the amount of water is twice that on Earth. 
• Mission: 
  • NASA is expected to launch its Europa Clipper in 2024. The module will orbit Jupiter and conduct multiple close flybys to Europa to gather data on the moon’s atmosphere, surface and its interior.

Source:IE