HUBBLE ATLAS
Artist’s Impression of a Water Atmosphere on Europa — image from the Hubble Space Telescope

Illustrations

Artist’s Impression of a Water Atmosphere on Europa

October 14, 2021 · ESA/Hubble

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This image presents an artist’s impression infographic to highlight that a new analysis of archival images and spectra has revealed that water vapour is also present in the atmosphere of Jupter’s icy moon Europa. The analysis found that a water vapour atmosphere is present only on one hemisphere of the moon. This result advances our understanding of the atmospheric structure of icy moons, and helps lay the groundwork for upcoming science missions which will explore Jupiter’s icy moons.