This episode is a welcome celebration of the diversity of conditions
discovered on many of the moons populating our solar system, highlighting
some interesting worlds that rarely get discussed. Many of the scientists
who made unique discoveries about these moons, including their existence,
are interviewed for the program. In the end, this is one of the best episodes
of the second season of "The Universe."
Moons explored include:
- Phobos and Deimos (orbiting Mars)
- Io, Europa, and Ganymede (orbiting Jupiter)
- Enceladus and Phoebe (orbiting Saturn)
- Triton (orbiting Neptune)
Topics discussed include:
- The recent discovery of Phoebe - a new, irregular moon
orbiting Saturn.
- The New Horizon spacecraft taking photos of Io and Europa in February 2007,
on its way to Pluto. Many actual images are included in the show.
- Ganymede's ability to have its own magnetic field.
- How water geysers can neutralize a planet's ionosphere...
as Enceladus is doing to Saturn, and
as the 1973 Skylab launch did to Earth.
- The Barry Center, or center of gravity between two paired objects.
- Triton disrupting Neptune's chance at a regular moon system.
from the disc sleeve:
Alien Moons:
From the inner solar system to the Kuiper Belt, explore the moons of
our solar system's surrounding planets. Cutting-edge computer graphics
bring the universe down to earth and help us imagine what kind of life forms
might evolve in these alien atmospheres.
Chapter Breakdown:
- Introduction
- Many Moons (Phoebe, and
how Mars will lose Phobos and Deimos)
- Jupiter: Moon Magnet (and Io's Volcano Nebula)
- Icy and Molten Moons (Europa, Ganymede, Enceladus)
- Irregular Moons (more from Phoebe, Triton plugged)
- Variety of the Solar System (Triton in depth)
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Participants include:
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