Professor: Donna M. Jurdy
(From NASA/JPL Voyager 1 Photographs, March 1979: Jupiter & Galilean Satellites, planet-sized moons assembled into a collage. The satellites and planet, not to scale, depicted in relative positions: Io, upper left, nearest to Jupiter; Europa, center; Ganymede, lower center; Callisto, lower right. )
This seminar examines the diverse satellites of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These small bodies, worlds of fire and ice, young and old, split personalities, and their relationships with planetary rings, have dramatically changed prevailing ideas on our solar system. We will cover their discovery and role in the history of sciences, physical characteristics, recent probes and findings, as well as theories for their evolution and tectonic activity. Also included, planning for future missions to outer solar system satellites to understand the formation of our solar system and additionally the search for life beyond the terrestrial planets. Recent results from Pluto will be highlighted.