Reddish spots and shallow pits pepper the ridged surface of Europa, a moon of Jupiter. The dark spots are called "lenticulae," the Latin term for freckles. Mineral-rich, rust-colored ice erupting onto the surface to form lenticulae may hold clues to the composition of the ocean beneath, and whether it could support life.
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Reddish spots and shallow pits pepper the enigmatic ridged surface of Europa in this view combining information from images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft during two different orbits around Jupiter.
The spots and pits visible in this region of Europa's northern hemisphere are each about 10 kilometers (6 miles) across. The dark spots are called "lenticulae," the Latin term for freckles. Their similar sizes and spacing suggest that Europa's icy shell may be churning away like a lava lamp, with warmer ice moving upward from the bottom of the ice shell while colder ice near the surface sinks downward. Other evidence has shown that Europa likely has a deep, melted ocean under its icy shell. Ruddy ice erupting onto the surface to form the lenticulae may hold clues to the composition of the ocean and to whether it could support life.
The image combines higher-resolution information obtained when Galileo flew near Europa on May 31, 1998, during the spacecraft's 15th orbit of Jupiter, with lower-resolution color information obtained on June 28, 1996, during Galileo's first orbit. -
Term Part of Speech Definition Encyclopedic Entry enigmatic Adjective mysterious or puzzling.
erupt Verb to explode or suddenly eject material.
Europa Noun moon of Jupiter.
hemisphere Noun half of a sphere, or ball-shaped object.
Encyclopedic Entry: hemisphere ice Noun water in its solid form.
Encyclopedic Entry: ice Jupiter Noun largest planet in the solar system, the fifth planet from the Sun.
Latin Noun language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.
lenticula Noun (plural: lenticulae) dark, reddish-colored spot visible on Jupiter's moon Europa.
NASA Noun (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) the U.S. space agency, whose mission statement is "To reach for new heights and reveal the unknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind."
ocean Noun large body of salt water that covers most of the Earth.
Encyclopedic Entry: ocean orbit Noun path of one object around a more massive object.
region Noun any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.
Encyclopedic Entry: region spacecraft Noun vehicle designed for travel outside Earth's atmosphere.
Media Credits
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Writer
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Colorado
Photographer
NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/University of Colorado
Producer
Caryl-Sue, National Geographic Society
Works Cited
Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Photojournal—PIA03878: Ruddy "Freckles" on Europa
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/pia03878
Last Updated
Feb. 10, 2012
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