ED
Europa, a satellite of Jupiter (CG image)
Life on Europa. Artwork of primitive alien life forms teeming around a hydrothermal 'black smoker' vent on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. Euro- pa's surface is covered in ice which is cracked & piled in a similar way to ice floes on the Earth's polar oceans; in this image a temporary break in the ice allows Jupiter to be seen at top centre. The ice formations could mean that there is, or was, a body of liquid water under the ice cap. Hydrothermal vents are formed by warm water rising from the moon's interior. Water in these vents may carry chemicals that can support life. Similar vents on Earth sustain colonies of bacteria, worms, molluscs, crustaceans and fish.
Details
ID
10619815
Collection
License type
Editorial
Photographer
Creation date
19-11-2010
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