Europa, one of Jupiter’s 95 moons, is a stunning world covered in a thick shell of ice. Recent findings have revealed that this ice layer is about 18 miles (29 kilometers) deep in certain areas. This discovery comes from NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which made a close flyby of Europa in 2022.
Steve Levin, a project scientist at NASA, shared that this estimate refers to a rigid layer of pure water ice. If there’s a warmer layer underneath, the total ice thickness might be even greater. Interestingly, if the ice has dissolved salt, the thickness could reduce by about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers).
During its flyby on September 29, 2022, Juno approached Europa within 220 miles (360 kilometers). It used its Microwave Radiometer (MWR) to analyze about 50% of the moon’s surface. Europa is particularly intriguing because it likely harbors a salty ocean below its icy crust, which may possess conditions suitable for life. Understanding how thick this ice shell is helps scientists figure out what lies beneath and whether life could exist.
Juno also found surface features known as “scatterers,” which include cracks and voids in the ice. These small traits, only a few inches across, scatter microwaves and could play a role in how nutrients and oxygen travel between the surface and the ocean below. Researchers believe these scatterers aren’t significant passageways for nutrients.
Scott Bolton, the principal investigator for Juno, emphasized that knowing the ice thickness and the presence of cracks helps scientists piece together Europa’s habitability puzzle. This knowledge is vital for future missions, like NASA’s Europa Clipper and the European Space Agency’s JUICE, both aimed at exploring Jupiter’s icy moons.
In summary, Europa’s ice crust is thicker than earlier estimates. Each discovery brings us closer to understanding this mysterious moon and its potential to host life. As we gather more data, we may ultimately learn if life ever existed or still thrives in this icy realm.
For an in-depth look at Europa’s exploration, visit NASA’s official page on Europa and read the study published in Nature Astronomy.
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