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Science Lecture by Bill Paterson |
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Date: January 19, 2005
Time: 2:00pm
Location: NIA, Rm 404
Speaker: Bill Paterson with Hampton University
Subject: "Probing Europa"
Additional Information: Presentation (PDF) Webcast
Jupiter's moon Europa may have liquid oceans beneath a surface crust of ice. This possibility drives speculation that Europa could potentially harbor life. Thus this moon is a prime candidate for future exploration. The evidence for oceans is based partly on analysis of cracks and fissures and other features in the surface ice. These features indicate that the subsurface is not rigid. Additional evidence comes from a somewhat surprising source. Magnetic fields measured near Europa are perturbed by electric currents. One favored explanation is that the current is carried in a layer of conducting seawater beneath the surface. Consideration of these observations and relevant analyses from the Galileo mission to Jupiter are the principal topics of this discussion.
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