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Galileo Magnetometer Measurements: A Stronger Case for a Subsurface Ocean at Europa
Margaret G. Kivelson,*Krishan K. Khurana,Christopher T. Russell,Martin Volwerk,Raymond J. Walker,Christophe Zimmer
On 3 January 2000, the Galileo spacecraft passed close
to Europa when it was located far south of Jupiter's magnetic equatorin a region where the radial component of the magnetospheric magneticfield points inward toward Jupiter. This pass with a previouslyunexamined orientation of the external forcing field distinguishedbetween an induced and a permanent magnetic dipole moment modelof
Europa's internal field. The Galileo magnetometer measuredchanges in
the magnetic field predicted if a current-carryingouter shell, such as
a planet-scale liquid ocean, is present beneaththe icy surface. The
evidence that Europa's field varies temporallystrengthens the
argument that a liquid ocean exists beneath thepresent-day surface.
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of
California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1567, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
mkivelson{at}igpp.ucla.edu
The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:
In Science Magazine
PERSPECTIVES
David Stevenson (25 August 2000) Science289 (5483), 1305.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5483.1305] |Summary »|Full Text »
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PNAS
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|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
