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Jupiter's iced Europa moon presents a fractured and cracked chaotic surface, suggesting a long history of geological activity.
A new series of four Europa images taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Array (ALMA). ) helped astronomers to create the first global thermal map of this cold satellite of Jupiter, as indicated by the observatory.
"As Europa is an oceanic world with potential geological activity, its surface temperatures are of great interest as they may be Samantha Trumbo, Planetary Scientist at the California Institute of Technology and lead author. of the document entitled ALMA Europa thermal observations, published in the Astrophysical Journal
The origins of the Europa map
The researchers compared ALMA's new Europa observations made by ALMA to a thermal model based on on observations of the Galileo spacecraft
This comparison allowed, they then badyzed the temperature variations in the data and built the first ever global map of the thermal characteristics of the Europa.
Surface of Europa
The new data also revealed an enigmatic cold spot on Europa's northern hemisphere.
are strongly suggestive under its thin layer of ice, Europa has an ocean of brackish water in contact with a rocky core.
Europa also has a relatively young surface, aged from 20 to 180 million years ago, which indicates that there is still unidentified thermal or geological processes at work.
Series of 4 images of the surface of Europe taken with ALMA, allowing astronomers to create the first global thermal map of Jupiter's frozen moon. (Credit: ALMA)
European Temperature
Unlike optical telescopes, which can only detect solar rays reflected by planetary bodies, radio and millimeter-wave telescopes like ALMA detect & radiation # 39; natural emitted by even cold objects. our solar system, including comets, asteroids, and moons.
At its hottest point, the surface temperature at Europa's surface never exceeds minus 160 degrees Celsius (minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit). The images have a resolution of about 200 km, sufficient to study the relationship between thermal surface variations and the main geological features of the Moon.
" The study of thermal properties of Europa provides a unique way to understand its surface ," said Bryan Butler, astronomer at the Socorro National Radio Astronomy Observatory (New Mexico) and co-author of the document.
See also | "Ice Peaks" 50 feet high invade Jupiter's Europe and pose a threat to future landings
Read Also | Does Jupiter's icy moon, Europa, hide life under its hidden ocean?
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