Plumes of water venting from Europa could be the best place to search for life on other worlds

Water-ice surface

10 to 15 miles thick

Ocean of salty water

40 to 100 miles deep

Rocky

mantle

Probable

iron core

Earth’s

moon to scale

Giant plumes of ice and water

erupt from cracks in the surface

Water-ice surface

10 to 15 miles thick

Ocean of salty

water 40 to 100

miles deep

Rocky mantle

Probable

iron core

Giant plumes of ice

and water erupt from

cracks in the surface

Earth’s moon

to scale

Guardian graphic. Source and image: Nasa. Thickness of layers based on current understanding