Astronomy 161 - Introduction To Solar System Astronomy - Autumn 2007

Jupiter has its own personal solar system in miniature of 63 known moons. Most are tiny, irregular bodies that are a combination of captured asteroids and comets, but it is the 4 largest, the giant Galilean Moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, that is of greatest interest to us in this lecture. Each is a fascinating world of its own, with a unique history and properties: volcanically active Io, icy Europa which may hide an ocean of liquid water beneath the surface, the grooved terrain of Ganymede, and frozen dirty Callisto with the most ancient surface of the four. Recorded 2007 Nov 19 in 1000 McPherson Lab on the Columbus campus of The Ohio State University.