What if Europa crashed into Mars?

The impact would melt the Martian surface and spread debris all over the inner solar system, which leads to many large impacts on Earth.

Do you think it is possible for Europa to harbor some sort of life what kind of life would you expect and what energy source would it use?

The type of life that might inhabit Europa likely would not be powered by photosynthesis – but by chemical reactions. Europa’s surface is blasted by radiation from Jupiter. That’s a bad thing for life on the surface – it couldn’t survive. But the radiation may create fuel for life in an ocean below the surface.

How does Europa affect Jupiter?

When Europa is close to Jupiter in its orbit, Jupiter’s gravity pulls even harder on this side. When Europa is farther away, the pull is less strong. That means Europa is constantly stretching as it orbits Jupiter.

Is Europa constantly falling towards Jupiter?

Europa orbits Jupiter every 3.5 days and is locked by gravity to Jupiter, so the same hemisphere of the moon always faces the planet. Jupiter takes about 4,333 Earth days (or about 12 Earth years) to orbit the Sun (a Jovian year).

What if Venus hit Mars?

Unlike Mars, Venus has nearly the same mass as the Earth. Dragging the current Mars into Venus’s orbit would increase the amount of sunlight hitting the red planet. As the thin atmosphere does little to affect the surface temperature, average conditions should rise to about 90°F (32°C), similar to the Earth’s tropics.

Does Europa have a magnetic field?

Europa orbits Jupiter every 85 hours, and the variation in distance from Jupiter also produces a variation in the magnetic field that Europa feels on this timescale. These regularly varying magnetic field signatures drive electrical currents within Europa’s salty ocean, which is located underneath an icy shell.

Why do scientists think there might be life on Europa?

Scientists think that life may exist on Europa because there is evidence that liquid water may exist beneath its icy surface. So, there may be lakes and oceans of liquid water on Europa. Water is a major requirement for life. If there is liquid water on Europa, there may be life.

Does Europa have a gravitational pull?

1.315 m/s²
Europa/Gravity

How long does it take for Europa to orbit Jupiter?

85 hours
Europa/Orbital period

What would happen if Mars crashed into Earth?

Scientists believe that gravitational forces and other factors in space could affect the orbits of planets, which means there’s a chance that Mars could collide with Earth. If this happens, the resulting impact would destroy the entire planet.