If One of Jupiter"s Moons Replaced Our Own...

Life is messy. It is turbulent and chaotic. However, in a world that is constantly evolving, there are a few things that we can rely on -- things that help keep life stable and keep us all sane. First, there is the Sun. It rises each day, giving us the light and energy that we need to survive, and then slowly slips behind the horizon (like clockwork).

The same is true of the Moon. Each night, it silently creeps through the sky; acting as a beacon of light in an increasingly dark world. Then, the sun peeks back up on the horizon, causing the moon"s presence to become less apparent for several hours -- until the cycle starts anew. One thing is for sure.. the moon is much more than a hunk of rock.. it"s a familiar, friendly figure. But what if the Moon wasn"t our moon? Furthermore, what would it be like if the Moon was replaced by another celestial body?

Like, one of Jupiter"s moons: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/if-jupiters-moon-replaced-our-own/

Image Credit: Lights in the Dark: https://www.facebook.com/LightsInTheDark

Astronomy Picture of the Day: 12/14/13 - Close Encounters of the Moon Kind

As Jupiter danced with the Moon on July 15 of last year, European observers had the spectacular chance to watch Jupiter pass behind the lunar disk. Cristian Fattinnanzi managed to capture this beautiful picture -- taken through light cloud cover over Montecassiano, Italy -- as the gas giant reemerged (with its four Galilean moons in tow).

The Galilean moons are names as such because Galileo discovered them while making his observations of our largest planet. The moons, pictured left to right, are Callisto, Ganymede, Io, and Europa; with Jupiter as the centerpiece.

References & Further Reading: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/astronomy-picture-of-the-day-121413-close-encounters-of-the-moon-kind/

Photo credit: Cristian Fattinnanzi

Tidal Stresses - How Gravity Heats Things Up

Our planet is able to sustain warmth because of its atmosphere and its proximity to the Sun. However, as you may know, most of the other planets aren"t so lucky; nearly all of them have rather frigid temperatures.

For example, take a look at moons like Enceladus or Europa. These moons (of Saturn and Jupiter, respectively) are known as "icy moons." As a result of the extreme temperatures, which are hundreds of degrees below zero, both moons have a thick layer of ice many kilometers deep; however, we know that liquid water still exists on them. How can this be?

Find out at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/tidal-stresses-how-gravity-heats-things-up/

Image source before editing:
NASA

Volcanism on Io (Jupiter"s Moon)

If there was a contest for the most un-Earth like world, Io would be one of the top contenders. Without a doubt, the most interesting thing about Io is its huge quantity of active volcanoes. As you can see, this volcanism makes the moon look more like a large ball of cheese (or a terribly unappealing pizza) than an actual world.

Find out just how many volcanoes Io has at:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/volcanism-on-io-jupiters-moon/

Image source:
NASA

6 Mysteries of Our Solar System

In this day and age, our species has accomplished several note-worthy feats. We"ve sent human beings into space and touched down on the moon. We"ve been able to visit and probe each and every one of the gas-giants that reside in our solar system, revealing our local neighborhood to be full of many incredible worlds. We"ve even sent two separate probes on their way into interstellar space. A accomplishment that is slightly sullied considering the fact that we"ve even been able to figure out the mass and composition of planets and stars that are hundreds of thousands of light-years away from home. Even with our book of knowledge growing by the second, we would be naive to think we have all the answers, so much still needs to be uncovered about our own back yard.

Here, we dive into 6 of the most intriguing mysteries of our solar system: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/mysteries-of-our-solar-system/

Image Source (before editing): http://ow.ly/qTZ1v

A Day On: Jupiter"s Great Red Storm

Are you a thrill seeker? Or perhaps a storm chaser? Then I would like to talk to you about one of the most violent places in our solar system: Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. This enormous high pressure storm is similar to a hurricane on Earth, except that it’s huge. Immensely huge.

In 2005, hurricane Katrina struck the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana. It was one of the deadliest and costliest storms in U.S. history. The hurricane made landfall with wind speeds topping at 125 mph (201 km/h). When it hit land, Katrina was about 400 miles wide (644 km), and it raged for more than a week. It was horrifyingly impressive. But Katrina is nothing more than a light breeze compared to Jupiter’s massive storm.

In the Great Red Spot, assuming that you aren’t instantly crushed by the pressure (you will be), you’re going to have quite a turbulent ride. Wind speeds around the edge of this beast reach over 250 mph (400 km/h). If you’re a wind surfer, this velocity might sound enticing. But consider your arms, legs, and head flailing about sporadically, flapping like a flag in the wind. Not so fun.

To learn more about a day in the Red Spot, see:
http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/a-day-on-jupiters-great-red-storm/

Image source:
http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RedSpotEarth.jpg

Life Beyond Earth: A day Living on Shoemaker-Levy 9

Today, I would like to tell you what it would be like to live on my favorite comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9. But I can’t. Not really anyways, because it no longer exists. Well, technically it exists. But now we call it “Jupiter.”

Confused? Let me explain. In 1993, astronomers discovered a comet orbiting Jupiter, and they immediately noticed something strange about this comet. First, its orbital period was only about two years. And second, well, it was orbiting Jupiter. Comets’ orbital periods vary wildly; some take a few hundred years, while others (a majority) take a few hundred thousand years. To most of us, a two year orbital period might not seem so peculiar. After all, the Earth’s revolution takes a year, and we aren’t that strange. Right?

Wrong. An overwhelming majority of the objects in our solar system have an orbital period that takes thousands of years. Remember Hale-Bopp? Well, I hope that you have a really long memory because it won’t be back for about 2,500 years. So Shoemaker-Levy 9"s two year orbital period is odd. Remarkably odd…especially since its orbit is around a planet, and not the Sun. And you know how people always say that being unique is a good thing? Well, it"s not.

Find out why at: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/life-beyond-earth-a-day-living-on-shoemaker-levy-9/

Image source:
http://www.astrosociety.org/edu/publications/tnl/27/27.html

Drops of Jupiter

Earth is quite picturesque from a few thousand miles away. It is equipped with beautiful hues of green that are spread between large gaps of rolling seas of blue, and of course, there are large collections of fluffy white clouds that dance across the face of the planet. The images taken from this vantage point remind us that Earth is quite stunning. Out of the rest of the planets in our solar system, only one other planet (Jupiter) has the variety of colors that we are accustomed to seeing when viewing space-based images of our home planet. In all other cases, the bland, colorless worlds are a stark reminder that our planet is very much alive. Ultimately, Earth"s colors signify its abundance of life. However, in Jupiter"s atmosphere, the intense colors signify something entirely different...



So what do these colors mean? How does Jupiter stack up against our own planet?

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/drops-of-jupiter/

The Oceans of Jupiter

Most of you probably know that Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system (and if you didn’t, now you do). Its size is simply staggering: Jupiter’s volume is large enough to contain 1,300 Earth-sized planets; it contains 70% of the solar system’s planetary material; and it is so large that it has over 60 moons (67 confirmed so far). This is the king of the planets. So saying that this beast has little in common with planet Earth is rather obvious. But today, I wanted to talk about one commonality between Jupiter and the Earth: oceans.

For starters, this planet is a gas giant that is composed primarily of swirling clouds of hydrogen and helium (90% of the planet is hydrogen and the other 10% is almost entirely helium). Since it is a gas giant, you might suppose that the planet couldn’t possibly have liquid oceans, but you would be wrong. Typically, when we think of oceans, we think of surfers and sail boats, we picture crystal clear waters with softly crashing waves, and imagine coral reefs teeming with strange and exotic life.

But there are many kinds of oceans.

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-oceans-of-jupiter/