Europa

terrestrial moon

Sol System orbiting Jupiter

G2 - yellow

4332.7 Earth Days

none

none.

water ice ocean

0.135 (~1/8 Earth Gravity)

500,000  (est. *)

  Europa appears calm and tranquil, in a sharp contrast to the rough, cratered surfaces spread throughout the rest of the solar system. This is because Europa consists almost entirely of water ice, making it an ideal destination. The ice would provide boundless resources.  Europa did at one time, and may still have active, volcanos that shoot warmer ice flows [spotted by the Galileo satellite] from beneath the surface. Evidence of a heated center naturally suggests that the ice may melt at some depth, flowing freely within the moons interior. This would make Europa the only other celestrial body in our solar system with liquid water, and a leading contender for bearing life, albeit far from our view.

Other Details:

Surface Temperature: -152 ºC

Distance from Sun: 5.2 Astronomical Units

Distance from Earth: 630 Million Kilometers

Surface Composition: Water Ice

Axis Rotation: Static

Solar Orbit Period (year): 4332.71 Earth Days

Planerary Orbit Period (day): 3.55 Earth Days

Diameter: 3138 Kilometers

 
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Comments, criticisms, suggestions, and additions welcome! E-mail Dan Fournel at nexus@fournel.org

 

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This page was last edited on: December 21, 2021

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