Europa (/ jʊˈroʊpə / ⓘ) is the smallest and least massive of Jupiter 's four Galilean moons. It is observable from Earth with common binoculars and is a planetary-mass moon, slightly smaller and less massive than Earth's Moon. Europa is an icy moon, and, of the three icy Galilean moons, the closest orbiting Jupiter.

Understanding the Context

As a result, it exhibits a relatively young surface shaped by tidal ... Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons. It's the sixth-closest moon to the planet. Europa may be one of the most promising places in our solar system to find present-day environments suitable for some form of life beyond Earth.

Key Insights

Scientists believe a saltwater ocean lies beneath its icy shell, holding twice as much water as Earth's global ocean. It also may have the chemical ... The debate could reopen in 2030 when NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft gets the closest view of the icy moon’s surface. A fresh analysis of 14 years of Hubble Space Telescope data has cast doubt on previous claims that Jupiter’s icy moon Europa intermittently releases water vapor plumes. The research, published in ...

Final Thoughts

AOL: Europa Clipper has launched: Spacecraft traveling to Jupiter's icy moon to look for signs of life Europa Clipper has launched: Spacecraft traveling to Jupiter's icy moon to look for signs of life FOX 5 Atlanta: NASA’s Juno captures close-up of Jupiter moon Europa’s icy crust NASA’s Juno spacecraft has captured the highest resolution photo yet of Jupiter’s moon Europa, giving scientists an up-close view of "a puzzling region of the moon’s heavily fractured icy crust." ... WUWM: NASA launches its probe to Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter