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Like our planet, Europa is thought to have an iron core, a rocky mantle, and an ocean of salty water. Unlike Earth, however, Europa’s ocean lies below a shell of ice probably 10 to 15 miles (15 to 25 kilometers) thick, and has an estimated depth of 40 to 100 miles (60 to 150 kilometers).
Europa / jʊˈroʊpə / ⓘ, or Jupiter II, is the smallest of the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter, and the sixth-closest to the planet of all the 95 known moons of Jupiter. It is also the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System.
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.
Earth’s first mission to conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter’s moon, Europa. NASA’s Europa Clipper will determine if this ocean world has environments suitable for life to exist.
Two powerful science investigations will help unravel the mystery of whether Jupiter's icy moon Europa might have the right conditions for life, when a new NASA mission heads there sometime in the 2020s.
Jun 8, 2021 · Europa: A World of Ice, With Potential for Life. Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may be the most promising place in the solar system to find present-day environments suitable for life beyond Earth. Scientists study the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe in a scientific field called astrobiology.
May 3, 2023 · Europa is an icy moon of Jupiter and one of the four so-called Galilean moons of Jupiter. See more facts about Europa and its history here.
Europa was one of the first moons found beyond Earth, and it’s discovery played a crucial role in understanding how our solar system works. Six spacecraft have visited Europa up close, and more missions are planned.
Jun 13, 2024 · What is Europa? Europa is one of Jupiter’s moons. Scientists believe that Europa is especially notable because it may have twice as much water as Earth, though it is so cold on Europa that water on the surface of this moon is frozen. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
May 27, 2024 · Europa is a rocky object covered with an extremely smooth, elaborately patterned surface of ice. Europa has a diameter of 3,130 km (1,940 miles), which makes it a little smaller than Earth ’s Moon. It orbits Jupiter at a distance of about 671,000 km (417,000 miles).
