Icy Moons and Exoplanets

There are billions of stars outside our solar system, many with planets of their own orbiting them. Exoplanets are these planets that exist outside our solar system.

On this three-week course, Dr Louisa Preston will take you through what exoplanets look like, as well as the structure of icy moons, and the likelihood of either supporting life.

Without having any probes land on the icy moons Europa and Enceladus, it’s difficult to be certain of the environments they hold.

You’ll discuss the theories of what lies beneath the icy shells of these moons, as well as the potential they both have for habitability. With missions in the works to send probes to both Europa and Enceladus, you’ll explore the opportunities and challenges these future missions face.

Earth is an extremely special phenomenon; a perfectly balanced environment for cultivating and maintaining life. So far, we haven’t discovered any other planet like ours, but the search continues beyond our solar system.

You’ll investigate what exoplanets are and the different types that we’ve discovered. You’ll then look at the criteria that an exoplanet needs to meet to be considered Earth-like and what they might be able to tell us about life on earth and beyond.

Starting closer to home, you’ll explore the special nature of the icy moon Titan’s structure and environment, and delve into the different environments on Titan that could host life.

This course will then guide you through the different biosignatures that experts search for when investigating exoplanets. With this knowledge, you’ll design and justify alien life, theorising a lifeform that could hypothetically live on an exoplanet.