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3 votes
0 answers
73 views

What happens to Europa's (or another ice moon's) water if we drilled a hole through the ice crust down to the ocean?

Suppose we drilled a 1 ft (30 cm) diameter hole through Europa's ice crust. As Europa doesn't have an atmosphere, the water would obviously either sublime (turn to vapor) or instantly freeze once a ...
Giovanni's user avatar
  • 143
18 votes
3 answers
3k views

Is the water underneath Europa's ice cap potable?

I read this question on Worldbuilding.SE, and figured that the astronomy site would have answers too, particularly for the specific example of Europa. The idea is that Earth's oceans are salty because ...
KeizerHarm's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
683 views

Would Europa be an ocean planet if it were in the habitable zone?

If a Europa-like body were in the Sun's habitable zone, let's say in an orbit between Earth and Mars, would the body become and remain a water ocean planet? In the habitable zone, the Sun would warm ...
Ioannes's user avatar
  • 1,090
4 votes
2 answers
454 views

Enceladus; why use the words "geysers", "jets", and "plumes" interchangeably?

Background, Europa: In an earlier question How can “Geysers” on Europa reach heights of 100km? I brought up the use of the word "geyser" in association with the reported confirming observations of ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 30.7k
5 votes
3 answers
1k views

How can "Geysers" on Europa reach heights of 100km?

After seeing today's Washington Post's article NASA just saw Europa’s geysers erupting into space. Again., and especially the phrase "geysers erupting into space" I checked and Europa has a surface ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 30.7k