Moon of Jupiter · Updated May 2026
Europa.
Europa is the smallest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons at 3,122 km diameter — just smaller than Earth's Moon. Its smooth icy surface conceals a global subsurface ocean of liquid water, twice the volume of all Earth's oceans combined, kept liquid by tidal heating. Europa is one of the prime targets in the search for life beyond Earth.
View Jupiter system in 3D →Key facts
Europa's ice shell is estimated at 15–25 km thick, covering an ocean 60–150 km deep. The Hubble Space Telescope has detected probable plumes of water vapour escaping through the ice — a way to sample the ocean without drilling.
About Europa
The chaotic terrain and crisscrossing reddish bands on Europa's surface suggest active geology — ice plates that crack, rotate, and refreeze. NASA's Europa Clipper, launched 2024, will make 49 flybys starting in 2030 to characterise the ice shell, ocean, and habitability. ESA's JUICE will also study Europa, alongside Ganymede and Callisto.
How to view Europa in 3D
Europa orbits Jupiter in real time inside the interactive viewer. Open the parent body to see the orbital geometry, or use the object browser to fly directly to the moon and observe its rotation, surface, and orbit.
Open the Jupiter system →Sources & methodology
Numbers cross-referenced with the sources below; updated May 2026.