Europa Archives - Page 8 of 41 - Astrobiology

Orientation of the tidal bulge. Panel (a) displays the bulge of the ice shell under the action of the static tide, and the other panels display the bulge under the action of the total tide, depending on whether the shell is hard (panel (b)) or soft (panel (c)). For given values of γS and γice (angles of Saturn in its epicycle and of the shell, respectively), the resulting orientation of the bulge (γbul) depends on the shell’s hardness. When it is hard, the shell hardly changes its shape relative to γice. When it is soft, the bulge nearly points at Saturn, whatever the value of γice. The hardness parameter is defined in Equation (27). -- The Planetary Science Journal

Astrogeology, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Enceladus’ Tidal Heating: A Simple Approach

by Keith CowingOctober 11, 2025October 11, 2025

Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a global ocean that is covered by an ice shell. The moon’s eccentric orbit forces the shell to librate, which distorts the shell and thereby generates […]

Left panel: Patches of dark and bright materials on Europa observed in a high-resolution image from the Galileo Solid State Imaging (SSI) system (Belton et al., 1992). The image is centered at approximately 16°S, 163°45’E, with a spatial resolution of ∼50 m/pixel. Right panel: A high-resolution Galileo/SSI image of Europa’s chaos terrains on the trailing hemisphere (near center)—an area exposed to radiolytic processes (e.g., Carlson et al., 1999a, 2002)— showing no discernible dark and bright patches. The image is centered at approximately 9°15’N, 84°50’E, with a spatial resolution of ∼50 m/pixel. Both SSI images are adopted from Malaska et al. (2024). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report

Spectral Mixture Modeling with Laboratory Near-Infrared Data I: Insights into Compositional Analysis of Europa

by Keith CowingOctober 10, 2025October 10, 2025

Europa’s surface composition and physical characteristics are commonly constrained using spectral deconvolution through linear mixture (LM) modeling and radiative transfer-based (RT) intimate mixture modeling.

Block diagram of the CRONOS laboratory setup; dimensions are not necessarily to scale. All materials and equipment were given at least 30 minutes in the antechamber before moving into the main chamber, to ensure no atmosphere was exchanged between the two areas. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The Near-Infrared Spectral Characteristics of Water Ice, Epsomite, and Halite Mixtures Relevant to Europa

by Keith CowingOctober 6, 2025October 6, 2025

We publish the first NIR spectra of grain particulate mixtures of water ice, epsomite, and halite at cryogenic temperatures.

Conceptual model of Europa as a global system, showing interacting regions and processes including ocean circulation, oxidant delivery from the surface, cryovolcanism, and tectonic features such as lineae, plains, craters, and ridges. Adapted from Vance et al. (2023), Space Science Reviews, 219, 81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-023-01025-2. -- eartharxiv.org

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Status Report

Exomorphic Catalysis: A Discipline Dedicated to Energetic Disequilibria and the Activation of Life-Potential in Non-Terrestrial Environments

by Keith CowingOctober 3, 2025October 3, 2025

The search for life beyond Earth has long been guided by two dominant paradigms: astrobiology, which seeks environments capable of supporting life as we know it, and planetary engineering, which […]

The Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales, Antarctica, and the Palmer in the background. (Credit: Michael Van Woert/ NOAA)

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release

Limiting Ice World Exploration: U.S. Will Retire Its Only Icebreaker Thus Stranding Polar Research

by Keith CowingSeptember 18, 2025September 18, 2025

Editor’s note: space agencies around the world have long used polar locations as analogs wherein the sudy of geology and biology informs our understanding of the extremes to which Earth […]

Jupiter's moon Europa is smaller than Earth's moon yet may contain more than twice as much liquid water as all of Earth's oceans combined. Scientists believe that under its icy surface, Europa features a global saltwater ocean, perhaps 40 to 100 miles (60 to 150 kilometers) deep. Further inward, a rocky mantle and metallic core are likely. -- NASA larger image

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Constraint On Europa’s Ice Shell: Magnetic Signature From The Ocean

by Keith CowingSeptember 16, 2025September 16, 2025

Jupiter’s icy moons are believed to host subsurface liquid oceans, and among them, Europa stands out as one of the most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life.

Left: An interferometer with two antennas, separated by a baseline B and has a time delay between the wavefront reaching the receivers of τg. The fringe pattern is shown, with the Full Width Half Maximum of the correlated signal given by 1.22λ/B [6]. Right: Schematic of the VLBI tracking of spacecraft, with a quasar used for phase-referencing [13]

Citizen Science / Open Science, Europa, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Implementing The PRIDE Technique For The JUICE Mission At The University of Tasmania

by Keith CowingSeptember 8, 2025September 8, 2025

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft is a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to study the Jovian system, currently undergoing an eight-year cruise phase.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Parameter Space Exploration of Low-to-moderate-temperature Hydrothermal Systems on Ocean Worlds Using a Monte Carlo Framework

by Keith CowingSeptember 5, 2025September 5, 2025

We explore the hydrogeologic and physical conditions necessary to sustain hydrothermal activity within the shallow subseafloors of ocean worlds, exploring wide ranges of multiple parameters using a Monte Carlo framework.

Juice flyby of Venus -- ESA

Europa, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Venus

Astrobiology Droid Update: Juice Team Resolves Anomaly On Approach To Venus

by Keith CowingAugust 26, 2025

The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is on track for its gravity-assist flyby at Venus on 31 August, following the successful resolution of a spacecraft communication anomaly […]

Analysis of exospheric ice grains at Europa by SUDA.

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Replicating The Flyby Sampling Of Salty Ocean World Ice Grains Using Impact Ionization Mass Spectrometry

by Keith CowingAugust 15, 2025August 15, 2025

The Europa Clipper mission will arrive at the Jovian system in 2030 and analyze ice grains sourced from the icy material on its surface using impact mass spectrometry, which will […]