Why Is Jupiter Not a Star?

Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash

“All these worlds are yours — except Europa. Attempt no landing there.” The famous quote, which some people can even quote from memory, comes from Arthur C. Clarke’s book 2010: Odyssey Two.

For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, the monolith aliens use stellar engineering to turn Jupiter into a second sun. Europa is off limits because it has life that can evolve intelligence.