A large saltwater ocean is likely hidden beneath the icy shell of one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa

 

A large saltwater ocean is likely hidden beneath the icy shell of one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa.⁣

Scientists speculate that Europa's ocean holds twice as much water as Earth's ocean. Our Juno spacecraft captured this image of Europa’s cracked and streaked surface on Sept. 29, 2022, at an altitude of 945 miles (1,521 km). Juno has been studying the Jupiter system since 2016, including Europa, one of the most promising places in our solar system to search for life beyond Earth.⁣

An array of telescopes and spacecraft have studied the Jovian moon, including Galileo, @NASAHubble, Juno, and most recently, @NASAWebb, which detected carbon dioxide on the moon. A new mission is set to study the moon: Europa Clipper is set to launch in October 2024, searching for conditions that could harbor life.⁣

Send your name to fly to space aboard Europa Clipper at go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle (http://go.nasa.gov/MessageInABottle).⁣

Image description:

 Europa’s is partially illuminated, with brown and tan streaks carving the icy surface. Shadow envelopes the moon’s left side, while black space surrounds its right side.⁣

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Björn Jónsson CC BY-NC-SA 2.0⁣

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                        05 October 2023