Europa: Ocean World

Scientists think there is an ocean within Jupiter’s moon Europa. NASA-JPL astrobiologist Kevin Hand explains why scientists are so excited about the potential of this ice-covered world to answer one of humanity’s most profound questions.

Alien Ocean

Explore This SectionScienceEuropa ClipperAlien OceanEuropa Clipper HomeMissionOverviewFactsHistoryTimelineScienceGoalsTeamSpacecraftMeet Europa ClipperInstruments Assembly Vault PlateMessage in a BottleNewsNews & FeaturesBlogNewsroomReplay the LaunchMultimediaFeatured MultimediaResourcesAbout EuropaWhy Europa?Europa Up CloseIngredients for LifeEvidence for an Ocean  To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoCould a liquid water ocean beneath the surface of […]

Europa’s Stunning Surface

The puzzling, fascinating surface of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa looms large in this newly-reprocessed color view, made from images taken by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s. This is the color view of Europa from Galileo that shows the largest portion of the moon’s surface at the highest resolution. The view was previously released […]

Reddish Bands on Europa

This colorized image of Europa is a product of clear-filter grayscale data from one orbit of NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, combined with lower-resolution color data taken on a different orbit. The blue-white terrains indicate relatively pure water ice, whereas the reddish areas contain water ice mixed with hydrated salts, potentially magnesium sulfate or sulfuric acid. The […]

3-D Cilix Crater on Europa

This view of Cilix impact crater on Europa was created in 2013 using 3-D stereo images taken by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, combined with advanced image processing techniques. The crater has a diameter of about 11 miles (18 kilometers). This image, which combines a 3-D Digital Elevation Model, or DEM, with original imagery, shows that the […]

Cracks and Ridges on Europa

This enhanced color image shows cracks and ridges on Europa’s surface that reveal a detailed geologic history. Some ridges, such as the prominent one at top right, develop into long, arc-shaped “cycloids” that may be related to changing tidal forces as Europa orbits Jupiter. The wall of this ridge stands perhaps a third of a […]