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Four moons circling Jupiter. It was a sensation when Galileo discovered them in the early 17th century - and they're still sensational! One is bigger than a planet. Another seethes with volcanic activity and has mountains taller than Everest. And which one has an ocean that could harbor life?

Jupiter's Galilean Moons

Jupiter's Moons – Facts for Kids

Jupiter has at least 67 moons. Some of them are only half a mile long, but one is bigger than the planet Mercury. Which moon has hundreds of volcanoes, and which one has a deep ocean under an icy surface? Find out here.

Jupiter's Moons – Facts for Kids

Much excitement recently. Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope have found water vapor coming from Jupiter's moon Europa. Europa is already considered a place where simple life may have evolved, because it has a liquid ocean under the surface that is warmed by tidal heating. If the vapor is coming from this ocean through surface cracks, it could tell us a lot about this interesting moon.

Artist's impression of the water vapor from Europa

Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the Solar System's biggest moon, though Saturn's Titan comes a very close second. It's larger than the planet Mercury. The image was taken a couple of decades ago by NASA's Galileo mission.

The moon is described as having


Image Credit: NASA, JPL, Galileo Probe

As I looked at the photo I wondered if the darker areas were deeper craters and the brighter areas mountains or similar. Interesting about an ocean layer.

As always it is always mind blowing seeing pictures like that, the farther what we are looking at is the more awesome it is!