What can the surface activity on Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, teach scientists about its subsurface ocean? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a ... NASA's Europa Clipper has embarked on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life.

Understanding the Context

The largest ... Beneath the frozen crust of Jupiter’s moon Europa lies a vast subsurface ocean that could harbor extraterrestrial life, making it one of the most promising targets in the search beyond Earth. Yet ... PULLMAN, Wash.—A recent study by geophysicists at Washington State University offers insight into how nutrients may reach the subsurface ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons and a leading candidate ...

Key Insights

Europa’s subsurface ocean might be getting fed after all. Scientists found that salty, nutrient-rich surface ice can become heavy enough to break free and sink through Europa’s icy shell, delivering ... A recent study by geophysicists at Washington State University offers insight into how nutrients may reach the subsurface ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter's moons and a leading candidate for ... Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons. It's the sixth-closest moon to the planet.

Final Thoughts

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. 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 ... Europa’s ocean is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to look for life beyond Earth.