How to detect habitable exomoons

[Martin]

Systems have been found with Jupiter-mass planets in the habitable (liquid water) zone.

Suppose a planet massing several Jupiters had one or more moons massiver than the Jovian ones: Io, Europa, Ganymede etc., in our system.

 

Would Jupiter moons be habitable if they were closer in, and warmer? And more massive as well?

 

It's an interesting possibility. So here is an interesting variation or extension of the exoplanet search:

 

We already know how to detect exoplanets (by star-wobble and transit methods) so how about searching for moons of exoplanets?

 

A method has been worked out for detecting exomoons by precise transit timing. If any are found then if some turn out to be in the habitable zone around the star, then so much the better.

 

http://www.centauri-dreams.org/?p=8791

 

The method was proposed by David Kipping (University College London)

http://www.davidkipping.co.uk/

 

It is projected that the transit timing accuracy of the Kepler spacecraft would be sufficient to detect an exomoon in this way.

http://kepler.nasa.gov/

Edited July 25, 2009 by Martin

[VedekPako]

I doubt any exomoons will be "Habitable" as we know it.

 

There's a lot of radiation in belts around exo-gas giants and most moons will be tidally locked. That means, not magnetic field to protect against the harsh radiation from their parent planet.

[Moontanman]

http://www.physorg.com/news65376545.html

 

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=planet09

 

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/3304591.html

[Martin]

I doubt any exomoons will be "Habitable" as we know it.

 

There's a lot of radiation in belts around exo-gas giants and most moons will be tidally locked. That means, not magnetic field to protect against the harsh radiation from their parent planet.

 

That is a good observation! Radiation would certainly be a problem in the Jupiter system, as we know it. I guess it would be especially harsh in close like at Io and Europa. I can't speculate about the atmosphere and magnetic field of a more massive satelite of a gas giant, if one were discovered in the habitable zone of some star.

 

http://www.physorg.com/news65376545.html

 

http://library.thinkquest.org/C003763/index.php?page=planet09

 

http://www.skyandtelescope.com/resources/seti/3304591.html

 

Thanks for the additional links! I am glad to see some other people are interested in exomoons.

[Sisyphus]

Well, look at Europa. It has an induced magnetic field, and varying tides from orbital eccentricity and the other moons' influence, despite being locked. It's not "habitable" in the sense that human beings could walk around unprotected, but its subsurface liquid oceans are quite possibly habitable to Earth-like life.