Europa
Jupiter moon with a subsurface ocean considered a prime candidate for extraterrestrial life.
About
Europa is the smallest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons and the sixth-largest moon in the solar system. Beneath its smooth icy surface lies a global ocean of liquid water, making it one of the most promising places to search for extraterrestrial life. Its surface is crisscrossed by reddish-brown fractures.
Properties
Notable Facts
Europa likely has a global ocean beneath its icy crust containing more water than all of Earth's oceans combined
It is considered one of the most likely places in the solar system to harbor life
NASA's Europa Clipper mission launched in 2024 to study its habitability
Its ice shell is estimated to be 15-25 km thick
Other Moons of Jupiter
Io
The most volcanically active body in the solar system and innermost Galilean moon.
3,643.2 km
Diameter
1.8 d
Orbit
1610
Discovered
Ganymede
The largest moon in the solar system, bigger than Mercury, with its own magnetic field.
5,268.2 km
Diameter
7.2 d
Orbit
1610
Discovered
Callisto
Jupiter's second-largest moon with the most cratered surface in the solar system.
4,820.6 km
Diameter
16.7 d
Orbit
1610
Discovered