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.
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.
mysterious or puzzling.
to explode or suddenly eject material.
moon of Jupiter.
largest planet in the solar system, the fifth planet from the Sun.
language of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire.
(plural: lenticulae) dark, reddish-colored spot visible on Jupiter's moon Europa.
(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."
path of one object around a more massive object.
any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.
vehicle designed for travel outside Earth's atmosphere.
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Solar System
A solar system is a group of planets, meteors, or other objects that orbit a large star. Our solar system includes everything that is gravitationally drawn into the sun's orbit. While there are at least 200 billion other stars in our galaxy, the sun is the center of Earth's solar system. Astronomers have discovered there are many other large stars within our galaxy, the Milky Way. Use these resources to teach students about the objects and relationships within our solar system.
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Solar System
A solar system is a group of planets, meteors, or other objects that orbit a large star. Our solar system includes everything that is gravitationally drawn into the sun's orbit. While there are at least 200 billion other stars in our galaxy, the sun is the center of Earth's solar system. Astronomers have discovered there are many other large stars within our galaxy, the Milky Way. Use these resources to teach students about the objects and relationships within our solar system.