Europa: The stretch marks on her surface belie her icy exterior. They say that she bares life and this is the proof: a hatch-marked pattern of scars across her body caused by the turbulence beneath. Her core is warmed by the pushing and pulling influences of Jupiter and her sister moons, but she keeps distance enough to keep her frozen façade while her melted inner self does a dance: one, two, rise. Three, four, fall. Five, out, six, in, descend and rise again- life from motion. This film is the first of a four-part series dedicated to filmmaker Stan Brakhage. The inspiration for these films come from the incredible images and sounds coming from the Galileo space probe. The four large moons of Jupiter were thought to be nothing more interesting than our own moon- barren balls of rock. As optical technology advanced, we began to get a more interesting view of these bodies. The Voyager space probes sent back images that suggested that these worlds may be highly complex. The Galileo space probe images we have received of Europa reveal a world covered in ice. The strange patterns across the surface of the moon suggest that there may be more to this moon than meets the eye. The patterns on the ice suggest movement beneath. The ice may be sitting over a salty liquid ocean that is warmed from deep within the moon. Astrobiologists now believe that Europa is one of the most promising places in our solar system to find extraterrestrial life.
Credits
