Lecture 28: The Galilean Moons of Jupiter

The four large Galilean Moons of Jupiter seem unlikely places to look for life; at first glance they should be cold, dead, icy worlds. Instead we find tremendous geological diversity, and two big surprises: volcanically-active Io, and icy Europa. Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, heated by tides from Jupiter. Europa is even more surprising: its icy surface is young, with few impact craters and extensive signs of recent repaving by liquid water. Even more surprising is the distinct possibility that underneath Europa's ice is a deep liquid water ocean, heated by tides from Jupiter. We will review the evidence for Europa's liquid sub-ice ocean and look at its potential as an abode of life. If there is life to be found anywhere in the Solar System beyond Earth, beneath the ice of Europa may be the best place to look. Recorded live on 2009 Nov 3 in Room 1005 Smith Laboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.