It’s amazing those moons don’t get sucked into Jupiter just by sheer force of gravity.
Something I just learned, and it’s right on Wikipedia, is that all this tidal heating of Io and Europa is due to the stable interlocked orbits of Io, Europa, and Ganymede, with periods in the ratio 1:2:4 . ( Callisto is far enough away not to be locked in, and is effectively a “loner” . )
Any one of these moons, alone, would settle into a fixed circular orbit without any variable tidal forces, but all together they constantly tug each other back and forth in a stable but dissipative pattern.
Well, it makes sense to me!
They will someday. The two moons of Mars, Phobos and Demos will crash into the planet eventually as well.
Gotcha! Jupiter Turned Comet into a Moon
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2339448/posts
Location Made Twin Moons Different [Ganymede, Callisto]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2438961/posts
Probe spies moon’s volcanic plume (Jupiter’s moon, Io)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1793158/posts
and wth:
Saturn’s sixtieth moon discovered
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1869432/posts
I use the non collapsing atom often to describe Him.
The nucleus primarily positive circled by negative electrons ... should collapse into itself (unlike poles attract .. etc.)