Hope you’re having an ice weekend 🧊⁣

 

  Hope you’re having an ice weekend:

⁣Europa and Jupiter’s three largest moons – Ganymede, Callisto, and Io – were the first moons discovered in our solar system. Galileo Galilei first observed the moons with a homemade telescope in 1610.⁣

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Today, scientists continue to observe and study the icy moon, where a deep saltwater ocean is almost certainly hiding beneath its icy crust. Europa’s subterranean sea and thin oxygen atmosphere make the moon one of the best places to search for life beyond Earth. A new spacecraft, Europa Clipper, will explore the moon’s icy shell, ocean, and geology, helping scientists determine if Europa is habitable for life.⁣

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Image description: Captured by our Juno spacecraft, Europa is partially illuminated. Its surface is marred and cracked with brown-gray streaks, creating swirling patterns across its icy shell, which appears white and blue.⁣

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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS⁣

Image processing: Kevin M. Gill CC BY 3.0⁣

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#NASA #Europa #Jupiter #EuropaClipper #Space #SolarSystem

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18 February 2024