Tag Archives: Ganymede

JUICE Explorer

As discussed briefly in class, the European Space Agency (ESA) just successfully launched the Juice (formerly JUICE: JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) mission on April 14th! I had no idea this mission even existed before it was mentioned, so I decided to explore it further. The goal of this mission is focused on Jupiter’s moons. While […] Continue reading

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Ganymede, Aurorae, and the Potential for Life Outside of Earth

Artist’s conception of Ganymede and Jupiter. Image by NASA Although by visible light and upon first glance Ganymede might seem like an unassuming satellite, further inspection and deeper exploration demonstrates that this view is both tired and untrue. Simply by size alone, Ganymede is a headliner. As the largest moon in our solar system, it […] Continue reading

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” Exploring the Wacky World of Ocean Tides”

Tides are definitely one of the most mesmerizing phenomena in the world. The tides are the rise and fall of the sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun. The Moon has a strong gravitational pull that causes tidal ocean currents while the sun’s pull is way weaker because it […] Continue reading

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Jupiter’s Ganymede

Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system; it’s even larger than Mercury. It also has a thin oxygen atmosphere and a magnetosphere.  There’s recently been a discovery that Ganymede has a salty ocean that is greater than all of Earth’s water.  It’s extremely fascinating that Ganymede has a salty ocean that has more…Continue reading » Continue reading

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Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”

Astrobiology has long relied on the concept of a “habitable zone”, that is a zone around a star that is the right distance from said star to hold liquid water, and therefore life. This concept is absolutely valuable, especially insofar as it allows us to classify new exoplanets and identify potential exoplanets that may hostContinue reading “Big Planets’ Moons and Life Outside “Habitability”” Continue reading

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Life on Jupiter’s Moons?

We might not have to look beyond our solar system to find other life. Continue reading

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Jupiter’s Galilean Moons

Discovered by Galileo in 1610, Jupiter’s four largest moons are some of the most interesting worlds in our Solar System. “Volcanic Io”: Jupiter’s inner-most moon, Io, is the fourth largest moon in the solar system. It is also the most volcanically-active object in the Solar System, with over 400 active volcanoes. Large mountains cover its […] Continue reading

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Ganymede’s Ocean Confirmed?

Recent observations of Ganymede by Hubble appear to suggest that it may truly have an ocean far beneath its crust. Aurorae on the planet, caused by Ganymede’s magnetic field (the only moon in the solar system to have one), and their behavior seem to be suggestive of this high possibility. Ganymede’s distance from Jupiter allows […] Continue reading

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Ganymede’s Ocean

When we think of Earth we tend to associate it very strongly with water and life. It makes sense since water covers up 75% of Earth’s surface. Water in liquid form seems to be unique to our world … or does it? … As it turns out, Earth’s salty water oceans may not be the […] Continue reading

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The Galilean Moons

When I went out observing on the 24th Avenue Parking Garage the other night, every astronomical object that I saw through the telescope amazed me, but Jupiter especially captured my attention. I had never viewed Jupiter through a telescope before, and on this beautiful and mostly clear night, I was able to clearly see not […] Continue reading

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