Could a liquid water ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa have the ingredients to support life? Here’s how NASA’s mission to Europa would find out.
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3-D Cilix Crater on Europa
- Brian Evans
- June 26, 2025
- 0
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 […]
Reddish Bands on Europa
- Brian Evans
- June 26, 2025
- 0
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 […]
Cracks and Ridges on Europa
- Brian Evans
- June 26, 2025
- 0
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 […]



