... Tonight's Sky . ... Observing . ... Liquid water near Europaт??s surface a rarity . ... Water near Europaт??s surface migrates downwards toward an ocean. ... Research suggests that water does not stay in a liquid state near Europaт??s surface for longer than a few tens of thousands of years т?? the blink of an eye in geological terms. ... Pockets of liquid water could be tantalizingly close to the surface. ... Only registered members of Astronomy.com are allowed to comment on this article. ...