EUROPA FACTS

Europa is the smoothest object in the Solar System, lacking craters and mountains

Europa is stuck in an orbital resonance with two fellow Galilean moons; for every orbit Ganymede completes, Europa makes two and Io completes four

The cracks on the surface are likely from the constant movement of the sea when it gets too close to Jupiter

-160°C

Europa’s surface temperature at the equator never reaches higher than -160 degrees Celsius (-260 degrees Fahrenheit)

671,100

Europa orbits Jupiter at a distance of 671,100 kilometres (417,000 miles) – almost double the Earth-Moon distance

All of Jupiter’s moons are named after lovers of Zeus from Greek mythology; Europa was the queen of Crete