Lecture 28: The Galilean Moons of Jupiter
The four large Galilean Moons of Jupiter seem unlikely places to look\nfor life; at first glance they should be cold, dead, icy worlds.\nInstead we find tremendous geological diversity, and two big surprises:\nvolcanically-active Io, and icy Europa. Io is the most volcanically\nactive world in the Solar System, heated by tides from Jupiter. Europa\nis even more surprising: its icy surface is young, with few impact\ncraters and extensive signs of recent repaving by liquid water. Even\nmore surprising is the distinct possibility that underneath Europa's ice\nis a deep liquid water ocean, heated by tides from Jupiter. We will\nreview the evidence for Europa's liquid sub-ice ocean and look at its\npotential as an abode of life. If there is life to be found anywhere in\nthe Solar System beyond Earth, beneath the ice of Europa may be the best\nplace to look. Recorded live on 2009 Nov 3 in Room 1005 Smith\nLaboratory on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.