Beneath Europa’s fractured ice may be an ocean containing more liquid water than all of Earth’s oceans combined, kept warm in complete darkness by the gravitational pull of Jupiter
Scientists believe that Jupiter's moon, Europa, contains a massive saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust, potentially holding more water than all of Earth's oceans combined. Evidence from NASA's Galileo spacecraft suggests this ocean is kept liquid by tidal heating from Jupiter's gravitational pull.
Why it matters
Understanding the composition of Europa is critical for astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth.
From a distance, Europa looks like a frozen world. Its surface is a pale shell crossed by rust-coloured bands, ridges and fractures, with few of the impact craters that scar most old moons.
By Space Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process
From a distance, Europa looks like a frozen world. Its surface is a pale shell crossed by rust-coloured bands, ridges and fractures, with few of the impact craters that scar most old moons. Yet beneath that ice, scientists think, lies a global saltwater ocean that could contain more than twice as much liquid water as all of Earth’s oceans combined.
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