Europa one of Jupiter’s largest moons
September 29th 2008 13:50
This image shows both hemispheres of Jupiter's moon Europa:credit NASA/JPL
Europa is one of Jupiter’s largest moons, its diameter is about 3,160 kilometers or about the size of Earth's moon, Europa's surface is among the brightest in the solar system, through a mixture icy glaze and sunlight reflecting off a relatively young icy crust. Its face is also among the smoothest, lacking the heavily cratered appearance characteristic of Callisto and Ganymede.
German astronomer Simon Marius is believed to be the person who named the four largest moons of Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. All four moons are named after mythological figures. However Simon Marius and Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei both claimed to have discovered them, about 1610, and it is believed both did so independently. A dispute over priority relegated Marius into virtual obscurity.
It was only recently that we have begun to learn more about the Europa. About forty years ago, modern astronomer Gerard Kuiper and others believed that Europa's crust was composed of water and ice. In the 1970s, space exploration of Jupiter's satellite system began with the Pioneer and Voyager fly-by missions which later vindicated Kuiper's analysis of Europa and discovered other characteristics. In 1995, the Galileo spacecraft began gathering more detailed images and measurements within the system, providing the information needed to piece together Europa’s evolution. Jupiter's four largest moons can be clearly seen with binoculars or a small telescope, you can even see them with the naked eye under ideal conditions provided you live away form the city lights.
Europa's Statistics
Date of discovery 1610
Mass (kg) 4.8e 22
Mass (Earth = 1) 8.0321e-03
Equatorial radius (km) 1,569
Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) 2.4600e-01
Mean density (gm/cm^3) 3.01
Mean distance from Jupiter (km) 670,900
Rotational period (days) 3.551181
Orbital period (days) 3.551181
Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) 13.74
Orbital eccentricity 0.009
Orbital inclination (degrees) 0.470
Escape velocity (km/sec) 2.02
Visual geometric albedo 0.64
Magnitude (Vo) 5.29
| 62 |
| Vote |
Add To: 
Subscribe to this blog
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by The wonderful Peter Yang
The wonderful Peter Yang's Variety blog
Power Ranger Online
Cartoon Kim Possible - Online
Swine Flu, Swine Flu, Swine Flu!!!
Music Online
Comment by TimmyH
Tech News
Can you HACK it?
Genyration
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Nice to see you again. I am not a prof even though I look like one lol
I am very pleased you are enjoying my blogs.
Cheers
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
I love ghost stories.
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Thanks for the comment