The Secrets of the Universe | This Moon Glows in Dark! | Cosmos in a Minute #12 @TheSecretsoftheUniverse | Uploaded May 2023 | Updated October 2024, 4 days ago.
There's an object in our solar system that literally glows in the dark. It's one of the largest moons of Jupiter, Europa. Unlike how our Moon reflects sunlight, Europa's glow is due to its icy surface, a mix of ice and common salts, being bombarded by charged particles from Jupiter. In experiments, researchers combined these salts with water ice and exposed them to radiation similar to what Europa experiences. They observed a shimmering glow, suggesting that Europa might be glowing in the same way. This luminescence occurs when charged particles interact with salt molecules, exciting them to higher energy states, which then release the excess energy as a visible glow. Europa's unique characteristic of glowing even on its nightside, the side facing away from the Sun, sets it apart as a moon that truly glows in the dark.
For more videos of Cosmos in a Minute, follow The Secrets of the Universe.
There's an object in our solar system that literally glows in the dark. It's one of the largest moons of Jupiter, Europa. Unlike how our Moon reflects sunlight, Europa's glow is due to its icy surface, a mix of ice and common salts, being bombarded by charged particles from Jupiter. In experiments, researchers combined these salts with water ice and exposed them to radiation similar to what Europa experiences. They observed a shimmering glow, suggesting that Europa might be glowing in the same way. This luminescence occurs when charged particles interact with salt molecules, exciting them to higher energy states, which then release the excess energy as a visible glow. Europa's unique characteristic of glowing even on its nightside, the side facing away from the Sun, sets it apart as a moon that truly glows in the dark.
For more videos of Cosmos in a Minute, follow The Secrets of the Universe.
