"Where would I find an illustration of the shape of the Earth without water? I've tried for years to imagine what it would look like from space."
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Question
We have discovered several Jupiter-like planets elsewhere in the galaxy. Could these gas-giants have moons harboring life?
Perhaps, but since our current tools are too weak to detect tiny earth-size moons orbiting other planets, we can only speculate the possibilities of life in other lunar systems. Moons of massive planets like Jupiter are subject to very different gravitational fields than the Earth—imagine the earth’s crust having a high tide of several meters a day! Such gravitational conditions, not to mention the usual freezing temperatures of a Jupiter-like moon, make the possibilities for life look rather bleak. However, as you know, we suspect that Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may harbor life in its subsurface oceans, reminding us that if certain conditions are met (ex. liquid water, protection from radiation), there is a chance that life could exist on a Jupiter-like moon. For more information on the latest extrasolar discoveries, see www.jpl.nasa.gov and http://spacescience.nasa.gov
May 1, 2002
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