What You Need to Know About Europa

What You Need to Know About EuropaShow more

Deep beneath the crust of Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa lies a massive liquid water ocean

Europa Overview
Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons. It's the sixth-closest moon to the planet. Europa and Jupiter’s three other largest moons – Io, Ganymede, and Callisto – were the first moons discovered beyond Earth. They are called the Galilean moons after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who first observed them with a homemade telescope in January 1610.
Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and has a water-ice crust and probably an iron-nickel core. It has a very thin atmosphere, composed primarily of oxygen. Cracks and streaks striate its surface, but craters are relatively few. Scientists are almost certain that hidden beneath the icy surface of Europa is a saltwater ocean with about twice as much water as Earth’s global ocean.
Europa may be one of the most promising places in our solar system to find present-day environments suitable for some form of life beyond Earth. Scientists believe a saltwater ocean lies beneath its icy shell, holding twice as much water as Earth's global ocean. It also may have the chemical elements that are key ingredients to life. NASA is launching its Europa Clipper spacecraft on Oct. 10 2024, to determine whether there are places below Europa's surface that could support life. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at Europa in 2030.