Moon of Jupiter · Solar System

Europa

Above the horizon after darkHighest after dark 05:17 · east · 28°

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Where is Europa?

Times for LondonChange city

Look east, about 28° up at 05:17 in Leo. It rises at 02:09 and climbs through the night.

Rises: 02:09
Highest: 09:32
Sets: 16:59
Best after dark: 05:17 · 28°

Can I see Europa tonight?

Europa always stays within a small fraction of a degree of Jupiter, so its position tonight is Jupiter’s position.

From London tonight, Europa is above the horizon after dark. It’s highest just before dawn, around 05:17, in the east at 28°.

This is position and timing only: clouds, haze and light pollution aren’t included.

What does Europa look like?

Eyes

Lost in Jupiter’s glare.

Binoculars

A star-like point beside Jupiter, one of up to four in a line.

Telescope

A bright point close to Jupiter. Larger telescopes show its shadow when it crosses in front of the planet.

What you’re likely to see, not what a space telescope photographs.

About Europa

Europa is the smallest of Jupiter’s four large moons, a little smaller than our Moon. Its bright surface is made of water ice crossed by long cracks and ridges, with very few craters, a sign that the surface is young.

Beneath that ice, scientists are confident there is a global ocean of salty liquid water, kept warm by tidal flexing. It may hold more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined, which makes Europa one of the best places to look for life beyond Earth.

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft launched in 2024 and is on its way to study the moon in detail.

Europa’s ice shell is thought to be several kilometers to a few tens of kilometers thick. Some Hubble observations hint that plumes of water vapor occasionally escape through it, though this has not been confirmed.

Europa orbits in a rhythm with its neighbors: for every orbit Ganymede makes, Europa makes two and Io makes four. Those regular tugs keep its orbit slightly stretched and its interior warm. ESA’s JUICE mission will also fly past Europa on its way to Ganymede.

Jupiter and its moons

Questions

Can I see Europa with binoculars?

Yes, as one of the four points beside Jupiter, as long as it isn’t hidden behind or in front of the planet.

Does Europa really have an ocean?

Measurements of its magnetic field and surface features strongly suggest a salty ocean beneath the ice. Europa Clipper is designed to study it.

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Sources: SkyMate; star chart: Wikidata (CC0). Positions computed for your place and time with astronomy-engine. Data & Licences