The shell of Jupiter's famous ice moon may be formed, in part, by pure underwater snow that floats up instead of falling down.
A new NASA orbiter, Europa Clipper, is set to launch in October 2024 to fly by the ice moon to see if it might be a suitable habitat for life. University of Texas at Austin scientists are leading the development of Europa Clipper's ice-penetrating radar instrument, which will peer into the ice sheet and the ocean just beneath it.They turned to Earth as an analogue, examining the two main ways ice forms under Antarctica's ice sheets.
In these conditions, Wolfenbarger found, frazil ice is quite common, particularly in spots where the ice thins in rifts or fractures. If frazil ice is also common on Europa, it could make a big difference in the composition of the moon's ice shell.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
Europa's icy shell may be made from pure underwater snowThe shell of Jupiter's ice moon may form from upside-down snowstorms.
Lire la suite »
Bizarre Underwater Snow Gives Clues About the Icy Shell of Jupiter’s Moon EuropaBelow the thick icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa is a massive, global ocean where the snow floats upwards onto inverted ice peaks and submerged ravines. Bizarre underwater snow is known to occur below ice shelves on Earth, but new research shows that the same is likely true for Jupiter’s moon. In
Lire la suite »
Mars enters the evening sky tonight, here's how to find the Red PlanetThe Red Planet will be visible along with Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
Lire la suite »
How to Make Nut Ice CreamsThe secret to toasted nutty ice cream couldn't be simpler: Treat nuts like any other ingredient and steep them in your ice cream base.
Lire la suite »
NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission will carry 2 water-seeking cubesatsTheir research could be crucial for future crewed missions to the moon.
Lire la suite »