Europa
(yoo-roh -pă) The smallest of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter and the only one inferior in size and mass to the Moon. It has a diameter of 3138 km and its density is 2.97 g cm–3. Its albedo is 0.67. Studied by the two Pioneer spacecraft 10 and 11, by Voyager 2, and in particular depth by the Galileo spacecraft, Europa has been found to be a smooth-surfaced world with no mountains and very few craters – none more than about 20 km in diameter. Its relatively young icy crust (at least 100 km thick) overlies what is thought to be a metallic core and is crisscrossed by a series of streaks and cracks. Most of the cracks appear to be filled with dark-colored material, some with a light-colored substance. The gravitational influence on Europa not only of Jupiter but also of the satellites Io and Ganymede serve to squeeze the satellite, resulting in tidal flexing, which is believed to heat Europa's interior. Tidal flexing may have melted some of the ice crust to form a substantial ocean of liquid water between it and the core. Water from this ocean may seep through cracks produced in the crust and may refreeze at the surface, thereby renewing it or forming icy ridges. It has been suggested that this ocean, if it exists, may provide a possible suitable environment for extraterrestrial microorganisms. The Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that Europa has a vanishingly thin oxygen atmosphere, due not to biological action but to the interaction between charged particles from the Sun and water molecules in the satellite's icy crust. The charged particles break up some of the water molecules, liberating hydrogen, which dissipates into space, and oxygen. See also Jupiter's satellites; Table 2, backmatter.Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006
Europa
[yu̇′rō·pə] (astronomy)
A satellite of Jupiter with a mean distance from Jupiter of 4.17 × 105 miles (6.71 × 105 kilometers), orbital period of 3.6 days, and diameter of about 1950 miles (3100 kilometers). Also known as Jupiter II.
An asteroid with a diameter of about 183 miles (295 kilometers), mean distance from the sun of 3.09 astronomical units, and C-type surface composition.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Europa
maiden carried off to Crete by Zeus in the form of a white bull. [Gk. Myth.: Benét, 327]
Europa
seduced by Jupiter as bull; raped when he changes back. [Rom. Lit.: Metamorphoses; Gk. Myth.: Hall, 259]
Europa
seduced by Zeus in form of a white bull. [Gk. Myth.: Kravitz, 96]
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Europa
in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of the Phoenician King Agenor; she was abducted and carried off to the island of Crete by Zeus, who had turned himself into a bull. The cult of Europa existed in Phoenicia and on Crete. The abduction of Europa is a frequent subject in the pictorial and plastic arts (Titian, Claude Lorraine, Guido Reni, and V. A. Serov).
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.