Europa
3,122 kmacross
Europa is 3,122 km across and orbits Jupiter at 671,100 km, once every 3.6 days. An ice shell wrapped around a global saltwater ocean — arguably the most promising place to look for life beyond Earth.
▶ Visit Europa in 3D
Why this moon matters
Europa’s smooth, fractured ice shell hides a global ocean perhaps 60–150 km deep, kept liquid by tidal heating — likely holding about twice the water of all Earth’s oceans. Where the ice has cracked and refrozen, reddish salts stain the surface. NASA’s Europa Clipper is on its way now, due to begin close flybys in 2030 to find out whether this ocean could host life.
Beneath ice a few kilometres thick, Europa likely holds about twice as much liquid water as all of Earth’s oceans combined.
Europa by the numbers
Diameter
3,122 km
Distance from Jupiter
671,100 km
Orbit period
3.6 days
Rotation
tidally locked
Surface gravity
1.31 m/s²
Temperature
−160 °C surface
Orbital speed
13.7 km/s
Sunlight travel time
43 minutes
In the interactive view you can fly to Europa directly and ride along as it circles Jupiter.
Keep going
✓ Facts verified July 2026
Every figure on this page is a real, rounded value checked against primary sources. Found something out of date? See how we keep it accurate.