NASA swooped over ocean world Europa and captured stunning footage

There may be other oceans in our solar system.

Jupiter's cracked, ice-blanketed moon is thought to have a sea up to 100 miles deep. It was the third time that a spaceship flew by the moon. The other two flybys took place in the 20th century. You can see some of the clearest images of Europa ever seen by clicking below.

That's not the whole story. There is some 10 to 15 miles of ice on Europa. NASA and other researchers will use this data to find out what is in the icy shell. In the coming months, we will find out what NASA discovered.

"Europa is a high priority target for science, and it is of incredible interest to me," Scott said.

Life thrives in the ocean. There is no evidence of life on the island, but it is possible that it harbors environments that host life. This moon could be able to survive.

It is one of the few places that may have the conditions for habitability. The Southwest Research Institute works with NASA.

The first official image from this flyby was released by NASA. There is a region near the equator called "Annwn Regio". The terrain has been broken apart many times. These cracks may have been filled with slushy ice.

The new view of Europa taken by the Juno spacecraft on Sept. 29, 2022. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / SWRI / MSSS

"It's very early in the process, but by all indications it was a great success," he said in a statement when the first picture was released. The first picture is a glimpse of the remarkable new science to come from the entire suite of instruments and sensors that acquired data as we skimmed over the moon's icy crust.

The public is able to process all of the imagery captured by Juno because it is made available for them. There is an image on the internet.

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New close-up images are great for planetary scientists. They used to only have data from two flybys. There are three loads of data. "It's a huge leap of faith," he stated.

Observations from the microwave radiometer, an instrument that can penetrate thick ice, will come next. Do you know what's down there? There could be areas with a lot of water.

He said it would stick out like a sore thumb if there was water.

The question is whether any life might survive in the water or under the ice. We have no idea. We don't know any answers. That's one of the things that makes exploration exciting.

The goal of exploring the solar system and universe is to see if we are alone. Is there anything else to do?