Europa, The Possibility of Life Essay - 855 Words

Right alongside the fifth and largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, orbits a moon only about the same size as Earth’s moon. On this moon, is an icy surface that scientists are trying to uncover. Due to the presence of what they believe to be water, there is the possibility of life on this moon named Europa. In 1609, Galileo Galilei, using â€Å"spyglass† which allowed one to see things closer than they appeared, made an early version of the telescope. With it, he observed the skies in a way no one had before. He discovered the moon isn’t perfectly globular, it has craters, the Sun has sunspots, Venus orbits the Sun (contrary to widespread belief in his time), and then he observed four â€Å"stars† around Jupiter (â€Å"Our Solar System†). Within†¦show more content†¦Anne Helmenstine states, â€Å"The snow is red due to the presence of Chlamydomonas algae† (â€Å"Colored Snow†). It could be possible the algae here on Earth is linked to the red ridges seen on Europa. Also seen on the surface of Europa are eruptions of water vapor. Fecht writes about the Hubble images relating to the geysers: Analysis of Hubble ultraviolet-light images of the moon from 1999 and 2012 suggest that subsurface water sprays out of the moons south pole in two geysers that are 124 miles (200 kilometers) high, according to the study led by planetary scientist Lorenz Roth of the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, Texas. (2013) This could mean that there is water underneath the surface of this moon, but what else lies beyond? Doppler tracking data obtained during four flybys done by Galileo (spacecraft) past Europa exposed the moon’s axial movement of inertia, suggesting a partial compression of material in the direction of Europa’s epicenter. Three-layer models created by reasonable arrangements propose that Europa contains an outermost water (H2O) layer and has a density close to 80 to 200 kilometers thick, a middle layer of a silicate rock mantle, and maybe a biphasic material (Fe-FeS) metallic core. Models created without a metallic core are steady with the data but need high silicate densities. More credible models have a metallic core thirty to fifty percent of Europa’s radius in magnitude and a silicate mantleShow MoreRelatedPossibility Of Life On Europa1568 Words   |  7 Pagespaper is that possibly finding life on Europa, likely in the future, will illuminate the origins of l ife on Earth but will likely cause conflict for some subcultures as well. Section 1: Possibility of Life on Europa There is possibility of finding life on Europa. Europa is one of four moons orbiting Jupiter. The premises of the possibility of life on Europa is that there are hydrothermal vents with life on Earth as well as on Europa. 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