A question for all you space lovers

[15357]

Ok, I need to do a report on a celestial body inside our solar system, preferably a moon. What I need to do is compare its structure and layers to the Earth.

This is for my Earth Systems Science class, half geology, half astronomy stuff.

I need something interesting, since the professor explicitly asked for interesting stuff.

I was thinking of Europa, but thought that might be too common. Any weird moons that you know of? It can be anything, like surface lakes of liquid hydrogen, or a mantle made out of water, a core made out of rocky sediment, etc. etc. I just need a moon that's interesting to write about.

Thanks in advance guys. I know there are a lot of smart people here, and this seems to be the place I come for life/academic advice, lol. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



*goes back to writing The Triumph of the Collective Will*

 

[Mr Stabby]

Enceladus, a moon of saturn, stretches and contracts, due to saturns gravity, this causes it to heat up and shoot water vapour out hundreds of miles, given it an completely smooth surface on one side of the moon.

It's quite different to earth though.

 

[Adabiviak]

You'll want one that we have some knowledge about. Charon, for example, is probably a rock, but I don't think we'll know much about it for some time. I'd go for Titan. There's a risk that this will be too common as well, but it's definitely interesting (see recent work from Cassini). Maybe Enceladus as a fallback.

edit - didn't see your post yet Mr Stabby. Enceladus has some good info from the Cassini mission too.

 

[15357]

Oh cool. I checked both Enceladus and Titan in Wikipedia, and they seem to have some solid stuff to write about. Thanks guys.

 

[ríomhaire]

I've always had a soft spot for Phobos and Deimos.

They're very oddly shaped and orbit closer to Mars than any other moon is known to orbit its planet, which gives them some interesting features. They're nothing at all much like Earth, which should give you a lot to write about.

Hmmmm...I may do a project on Phobos and Deimos myself this year.

Damn it I was going to suggest Phobos and Deimos

 

[<RJMC>]

invent a new one but make it sound so patriotic and anti commie they wouldnt care is real

 

[PvtRyan]

Titan. Bitches don't know about Titan's methane oceans. Well, perhaps some bitches do, depending on who you ask. But I digress, go for Titan.

 

[VirusType2]

Enceladus, a moon of saturn, stretches and contracts, due to saturns gravity, this causes it to heat up and shoot water vapour out hundreds of miles, given it an completely smooth surface on one side of the moon.

It's quite different to earth though.

Yeah, I'd do that one or the other one that's really shiny (reflects light really well) - I think it's covered in ice. But anyway, it constantly recycles its surface, so it's smooth like glass. Can't remember the name, so I guess I'm useless.

I would do whatever one that I found the most interesting. I wouldn't care if I thought everyone was doing it. You never know, they might think the same thing.

 

[Warped]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_satellites

you may want to check there for some cool shit. also Titan will be overused and everyone will probably be doing it. pick Triton, it still is believed to be geologically active http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triton_%28moon%29

 

[Shakermaker]

Io is the most geologically active moon in the solar system. The cool thing about its volcanism is that it is caused by gravity. Wiki here.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Io is the most geologically active moon in the solar system. The cool thing about its volcanism is that it is caused by gravity. Wiki here.

Io was my choice to, you could talk about quite a lot such as Io's tidal stresses caused by gravitational tugging from Jupiter and the moons, electromagnetic fields and the high levels of radiation

 

[Warped]

so in conclusion pick a geologically strong moon and your set! i think it would be cool, granted the gravity was safe, if you could blast into space easily by curling up in a space ball and getting launched into space from those geysers.

 

[StarBob]

Here's a nice picture of Enceladus that you can use. Nice article too. I enjoy this blog.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/10/01/enceladus-on-full-afterburner/

 

[Raziaar]

Io is the most geologically active moon in the solar system. The cool thing about its volcanism is that it is caused by gravity. Wiki here.

Yeah, IO is fascinating. Love watching stuff about it.

 

[Kula Meenur]

Titan?