Source: NASA/Galileo Mission
Artist's concept depicts Europa's "Great Lake.
Image credits: Britney Schmidt/Dead Pixel VFX/Univ. of Texas at Austin.
Data from a NASA planetary mission have provided scientists evidence of what appears to be a body of liquid water, equal in volume to the North American Great Lakes, beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's moon, Europa.
The data suggest there is significant exchange between Europa's icyshell and the ocean beneath. This information could bolster arguments that Europa's global subsurface ocean represents a potential habitat for life elsewhere in our solar system. The findings are published in the scientific journal Nature.(read more)
