A team of scientists estimated the thickness of Europa’s icy crust with the help of state-of-the-art simulations, a press statement reveals.
Scientists have long considered Jupiter’s moon Europa as one of the leading candidates for discovering microbial alien life in our solar system. This is because it is believed to contain a vast saltwater ocean under its thick icy crust.
Knowing the thickness of that crust could, therefore, aid future missions designed to study the habitability of the icy world.
The scientists, who published their findings in a new paper in the journal Science Advances, estimated Europa’s icy crust to be at least 20 kilometers (approx. 12 miles) thick.
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