Scientists using the Hubble telescope see ocean on Jupiter moon

Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed that the Jupiter- orbiting moon Ganymede has an ocean beneath its icy surface, raising prospects for life, Nasa has said.

The finding resolves a mystery about the largest moon in the solar system after Nasa’s Galileo spacecraft first provided hints that Ganymede has a subsurface ocean.

Scientists estimate the ocean is 100km (60 miles) thick, 10 times deeper than Earth’s oceans, and buried under a 150km (95-mile) crust of mostly ice.

Jim Green of Nasa called the finding “an astounding demonstration”.

– (Reuters)