Europa

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/europa

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the parent planet?Jupiter
2. What is the estimated ice shell thickness?10 to 30 kilometers (6 to 18 miles)
3. What is Europa and why is it special?Europa is one of Jupiter's moons. It is covered in a thick layer of ice, but scientists believe there is a salty ocean just below that ice. This hidden ocean makes Europa very interesting to scientists who study the possibility of life elsewhere.
4. Why does Europa have an ocean under its ice?Europa's ocean stays liquid because Jupiter's gravity pulls and stretches the moon as it orbits. This stretching creates heat inside Europa, a process called tidal heating, which keeps the water from freezing.

Tidal Heating: Internal heat generated by the gravitational stretching and squeezing of a celestial body.
Cryovolcanism: Volcanic activity on icy moons where the erupted material is water, ammonia, or methane.
Astrobiology: The scientific study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe.