With its sensitive infrared cameras and high-resolution spectrometer, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revealing new secrets of Jupiter’s Galilean satellites, in particular Ganymede, the largest moon, and Io, […]
Ganymede
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Io, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Jupiter Science Enabled by ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide a detailed investigation of the Jovian system in the 2030s, combining a suite of state-of-the-art instruments with an orbital tour tailored to […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Away Team Report: New Hydrothermal Vent Fields Discovered On Earth’s Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Astrobiology.com Editor’s Note: as we start to send our robotic astrobiology explorers to the Jovian system to explore icy ocean worlds Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, the skills developed exploring (the […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Callisto, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
JUICE Leaves Earth On An Astrobiology Expedition To Jupiter’s Ocean Moons
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana at 14:14 CEST on 14 April. The successful launch marks the […]
Posted inCallisto, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Spotlight On Ganymede, JUICE’s Primary Target
A key focus of ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) will be Ganymede: Jupiter’s largest moon, and an ideal natural laboratory for studying the icy worlds of the Solar System.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Press Release
A Newly Discovered Form Of Salty Ice Could Exist On The Surface Of Icy Moons
The red streaks crisscrossing the surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, are striking. Scientists suspect it is a frozen mixture of water and salts, but its chemical signature is […]
Posted inCallisto, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
The Optical Aurorae of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
The tenuous atmospheres of the Galilean satellites are sourced from their surfaces and produced by a combination of plasma-surface interactions and thermal processes. Though thin, these atmospheres can be studied […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Callisto, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mimas, Pluto, Press Release, Triton
Spectroscopic Detection of Biosignatures in Natural Ice Samples as a Proxy for Icy Moons
Some of the icy moons of the solar system with a subsurface ocean, such as Europa and Enceladus, are the targets of future space missions that search for potential extraterrestrial […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Status Report
Early Stages Of Galilean Moon Formation In A Water-depleted Environment
A key feature of the Galilean satellite system is its monotonic decrease in bulk density with distance from Jupiter, indicating an ice mass fraction
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Sending Signals To Droids Through The Ice On Ocean Worlds
Detection of extraterrestrial life would be an incredible discovery, revolutionizing humanity’s perception of life and providing us insight into how life begins and persists in various environments.