Europa

Europa is one of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, and is the sixth-closest moon of the planet. Named after Europa, a Phoenician woman of high lineage in Greek mythology, it is the smallest of the four Galilean moons, but still one of the largest bodies in the solar system.

Discovery and naming

Europa was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7, 1610, along with three other large Jovian moons: Ganymede, Io, and Callisto. The discovery of these celestial bodies, later named the Galilean moons, provided strong support for the Copernican view of our solar system, with the Earth and other planets revolving around the Sun.

Physical characteristics

Europa is slightly smaller than Earth's moon and is primarily made of silicate rock and has a water-ice crust. It has an extremely thin atmosphere, composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is striated by cracks and streaks, but craters are relatively few.

Potential for life

Europa's subsurface ocean of salty water, which is kept warm by tidal flexing, might contain more than twice the combined volume of Earth's oceans. This leads to speculation that it could potentially harbor life.

Exploration

Europa has been visited by passing spacecraft and examined by telescopes from Earth. While no landings have been made on Europa, there are proposed missions to land on the moon and drill into its ice to look for signs of life.

See also

• Jupiter's moons
• Galilean moons
• Exploration of Europa

External links

• NASA's Europa page
• Europa Clipper Mission page

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