Europa: Facts - NASA Science
WebEuropa’s surface is made of water ice and so it reflects 5.5 times the sunlight than our Moon does. Europa orbits Jupiter at about 417,000 miles (671,000 kilometers) from the planet, which itself orbits the Sun at a distance of roughly 500 million miles (780 million kilometers), or 5.2 astronomical units (AU).
Europa (Moon) Facts
WebEuropa is nearly the same size as Earth’s Moon. It is tidally locked to Jupiter in its orbit and spins faster on its axis than it orbits. Its orbit is nearly circular. As Europa orbits Jupiter, it comes ever so slightly closer to the planet. That increases the gravitational pull on Europa, and distorts its shape.
Europa (moon) - Wikipedia
WebPhysical characteristics. Size comparison of Europa ( lower left) with the Moon ( top left) and Earth ( right) Europa is slightly smaller than the Earth's moon. At just over 3,100 kilometres (1,900 mi) in diameter, it is the sixth-largest moon and fifteenth-largest object in the Solar System.
Europa: A guide to Jupiter's icy moon | Space
WebMay 3, 2023 · Europa is an icy moon of Jupiter and one of the four so-called Galilean moons of Jupiter. See more facts about Europa and its history here.
Europa - NASA Science
WebEuropa Overview. Europa is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons. It's the sixth-closest moon to the planet. Europa and Jupiter’s three other largest moons – Io, Ganymede, and Callisto – were the first moons discovered beyond Earth.
Overview | Why Europa – NASA's Europa Clipper
WebScientists describe Europa as an "ocean world" because decades of evidence from analysis of spacecraft observations strongly suggest that an ocean of liquid water is hidden beneath the moon’s surface of ice. In fact, some of Europa’s characteristics would be extremely difficult to explain if the moon does not contain a global subsurface ocean.
Europa Up Close | Why Europa – NASA's Europa Clipper
WebJupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for signs of present-day life, and a new NASA mission to explore this potential is moving forward from concept review to development.
In Depth – NASA's Europa Clipper
WebIt is far from the Sun and yet has a liquid water ocean. The reason Europa has liquid water is because tides — similar to the tidal interactions between Earth and its moon — cause Europa's ice shell and interior to flex during the course of its orbit around Jupiter.
Europa | Facts, Composition & Exploration | Britannica
WebApr 26, 2024 · Jupiter II. Europa. Crescent view of Europa, one of Jupiter's four large, Galilean moons, in a composite of images made by the Galileo spacecraft in 1995 and 1998. Colours have been exaggerated in processing to reveal subtle differences in …
Europa, Jupiter’s possible watery moon | The Planetary Society
WebIts icy surface may hide a buried ocean full of more water than Earth. The European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA both have missions planned to visit Europa and other moons of Jupiter. Why we study Jupiter's moon Europa. Europa is the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System and Jupiter’s fourth-largest satellite.
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