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NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Shares Up Close Images of Europa’s Surface
On Thursday, September 29th, NASA’s Juno spacecraft performed a flyby of Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. The spacecraft was only 219 miles from the surface when it snapped several photos of Europa during its closest approach. Stunning details of the moon’s surface can be seen in these photos, the closest taken since NASA’s Galileo spacecraft flew by Europa on January 3rd, 2000.
In the image above, Europa’s icy surface can be seen in amazing detail. This segment of the surface is located just north of the equator. Part of the night side of the moon can be seen in this image, making terrain features more visible.
Europa is one of Jupiter’s four largest moons, called the Galilean moons after their discoverer, Galileo Galilei. Europa is also the sixth largest moon in the solar system, just slightly smaller than Earth’s Moon.
Astronomers believe that Europa has a deep, saltwater ocean beneath its frozen surface. Its ice surface is estimated to be several miles thick. This has sparked debate about whether the moon’s ocean could have the key ingredients needed to sustain life.
