Permission to Dream
Mission 3: Jupiter and the Galilean Moons
The Story:
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is more than one thousand times the size of Earth. It has over 28 natural satellites. The four largest moons of Jupiter are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. An Italian astronomer named Galileo Galilei observed the planet Jupiter with his telescope and charted the movement of tiny luminous dots that were later determined to be moons. The planet Jupiter and its moons are so interesting to scientists that in 1989, they launched a spacecraft to carry out a more detailed survey of the planet. This mission, named after Galileo himself, found that Jupiter is composed mainly of gases. Because of this, it has come to be called a Gas Giant. These gases form an extremely complex system of atmospheric layers. Movement of the layers often causes massive storms. In fact, the Great Red Spot is a huge storm larger than the Earth itself! The Galileo spacecraft also discovered that Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are each unique and fascinating planetary bodies that continue to mystify scientists to this day. Your mission is to observe and chart the movements of the Galilean Moons and learn about the different characteristics of each.
The Mission:
- Read the enclosed articles regarding background information on Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
- Locate Jupiter with the telescope and find the Galilean Moons. Record what you see on the accompanying observation worksheet. Repeat your observation on at least three different nights during the week and keep track of the positions of the moons.
- Meet Galileo Galilei! Read about his work with telescopes.
The Mission Report:
- What differences do you notice in your series of observations? Explain what happened throughout the week. What is a possible explanation for your observation?
- How do the moons of Jupiter compare with the surrounding background stars?
- It is hypothesized that subsurface oceans exist on several of the Galilean moons. If so, do you think life could exist there?
- The surface of Callisto is four billion years old, making it the oldest landscape in the solar system. How will studying Callisto help scientists gain a better understanding of our solar system?
- Was Galileo Galilei treated differently after people found out that his discoveries supported Copernicanism?
- You’re a mission planner with the task of sending your spacecraft to a moon of Jupiter. Which would you choose? What kind of information would you gather? How would your scientific goals affect your choice of mission targets?
Observation Worksheet:
The Galilean Moons
Record the date and time of each observation. Draw in the positions of the Galilean Moons as you see them from the telescope. Use this worksheet to answer the mission questions.