How far is Europa from Earth in light years?
628.3 million km
Is there life on Europa?
The latest analysis of Europa’s ocean is tantalizing, but we will know a lot more after Europa Clipper – and ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE) mission – take a closer look in the years ahead. Bottom line: New study by NASA scientists shows that Europa’s ocean is habitable.
Does Europa have more water than Earth?
Scientists think Europa’s ice shell is 10 to 15 miles (15 to 25 kilometers) thick, floating on an ocean 40 to 100 miles (60 to 150 kilometers) deep. So while Europa is only one-fourth the diameter of Earth, its ocean may contain twice as much water as all of Earth’s oceans combined.
Is there water on Europa?
Europa, one of Jupiter’s four big Galilean moons, harbors a huge ocean of salty water beneath its ice shell and is widely regarded as one of the solar system’s best bets to host alien life.
Is there lava on Europa?
On Europa, at least near the surface, the players are different—but it’s likely that the processes that form these ice plumes are similar to silicate volcanoes on Earth. Even large asteroids like Ceres may have forms of icy volcanoes, albeit in more of a sluggish, more lava-like fashion.
What is the temperature of Europa?
Temperature: Europa’s surface temperature at the equator never rises above minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 160 degrees Celsius). At the poles of the moon, the temperature never rises above minus 370 F (minus 220 C).
How cold can Europa get?
On Europa, temperatures range from as high as about 140 Kelvin (about -210 degrees Fahrenheit) in dark material at the moon’s equator to as low as about 50 Kelvin (-370 degrees Fahrenheit) in bright icy patches at the moon’s poles.
Can Jupiter moon Europa support life?
The chemical elements for life might be found within Europa’s icy shell, as well as its ocean. Europa’s surface is blasted by radiation from Jupiter. That’s a bad thing for life on the surface – it couldn’t survive. But the radiation may create fuel for life in an ocean below the surface.
How cold is the water on Europa?
This temperature depends upon both pressure and salinity of the ocean, but lies in the range of 0 to –4 °C.