The Galileo spacecraft’s magnetometer data allowed for an understanding of the Galilean satellites’ internal magnetic fields. My objective was to learn the nature of these fields and see if they are consistent with geological and observational data by reviewing all relevant papers and seeking parallels or inconsistencies between them. The results show that Europa and Callisto have internal brin...

Tenuous dust clouds of Jupiter’s Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto have been detected with the in-situ dust detector on board the Galileo spacecraft. The majority of the dust particles have been sensed at altitudes below five radii of these lunar-sized satellites. We identify the particles in the dust clouds surrounding the moons by their impact direction, impact velocity, and ma...

We investigate the long-term dynamical stability of hypothetical moons orbiting extrasolar giant planets. Stellar tides brake a planet’s rotation and, together with tidal migration, act to remove satellites; this process limits the lifetimes of larger moons in extrasolar planetary systems. Because more massive satellites are removed more quickly than less massive ones, we are able to derive an ...

Jupiter and Saturn play host to an impressive array of satellites, making it reasonable to suspect that similar systems of moons might exist around giant extrasolar planets. Furthermore, a significant population of such planets is known to reside at distances of several Astronomical Units (AU), leading to speculation that some moons thereof might support liquid water on their surfaces. However,...

The outer Solar System may provide a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life. Remote sensing data from the Galileo spacecraft suggest that the jovian icy moons--Europa, Ganymede, and possibly Callisto--may harbor liquid water oceans underneath their icy crusts. Although compositional information required for the discussion of habitability is limited because of significantly restricted obser...

Theoretical modelling of the contraction of the primitive protosaturnian cloud, using ideas of supersonic turbulent convection, suggests that each of Saturn' e, inner moons, excepting Rhea, condensed above the icepoint of water and consists primarily of hydrous magnesium silicates. It is predicted that Voyager 1 may find that the satellite mean densities steadily increase towards the planet and...