British scientists have released the most detailed images of the icy surfaces of Jupiter’s two largest moons, Europa and Ganymede.
The team of planetary scientists from the University of Leicester’s School of Physics and Astronomy, led by doctoral student Oliver King, used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to observe and map the moons’ surfaces.
The latest images from the observatory provide new insights into the processes that affect the chemical composition of the massive moons, as well as the geological features of the moons, such as the long, fault-like lines that cross the surface of Europa.
The images show a mixture of chemicals forming the icy surfaces on Jupiter’s largest moons, Europa and Ganymede, two future destinations for new missions to the giant planet system.
It is noteworthy that Ganymede and Europa are among the four largest moons orbiting Jupiter, known as the Galilean moons.
Europa and Ganymede each belong to the group of 79 natural moons orbiting Jupiter.