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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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 […]
Source Region for Possible Europa Plumes
- Brian Evans
- June 26, 2025
- 0
This reprojection of the official USGS Europa basemap is centered at the estimated source region for potential plumes that might have been detected using the Hubble Space Telescope. The view is centered at -65 degrees latitude, 183 degrees longitude. In addition to the plume source region, the image also shows the hemisphere of Europa that […]
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 […]