Galileo s Europa
Explanation:
Looping through the Jovian system in the late 1990s, the
Galileo spacecraft
recorded stunning views of Europa and uncovered
evidence that the moon's icy surface likely hides
a deep, global ocean.
Galileo's Europa image data has been
remastered here, with improved calibrations to produce a
color image approximating what the human eye might see.
Europa's long curving fractures
hint
at the subsurface liquid water.
The tidal flexing the large moon experiences
in its elliptical orbit
around Jupiter supplies the energy to keep the ocean liquid.
But more
tantalizing is the possibility
that even in the
absence of sunlight that process could also supply the energy to
support life,
making Europa
one of the best places to look for life
beyond Earth.
The Juno spacecraft currently in Jovian orbit
has also made repeated flybys of the water world,
returning images along with data exploring
Europa's
habitability.
This October will see the launch of the NASA's
Europa Clipper
on a voyage of
exploration.
The spacecraft will make nearly 50 flybys,
approaching to within 25 kilometers of Europa's icy surface.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
