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teacher Deep under the ice, deep under the ice / A hidden ocean flows.
Gossip
Would you rather live in a lush ancient Sahara or today's dry desert?
teacher Europa hides a massive liquid ocean beneath a shell of solid ice.
teacher The particles making up Saturn's rings vary wildly in size, from microscopic dust grains to massive, house-sized icy boulders.
Fun Fact
Green Sahara fossils: Paleontologists in Niger discovered hundreds of stone-age human graves alongside massive crocodile and dinosaur fossils buried under desert sand.
Glossary
ocean (noun)
The great body of salt water that covers almost seventy-one percent of the Earth's surface. The Galileo spacecraft detected a vast subsurface ocean beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa.
The great body of salt water that covers almost seventy-one percent of the Earth's surface. The Galileo spacecraft detected a vast subsurface ocean beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa.
Quiz
Which famous astronomer first discovered Jupiter's moon Europa in the year 1610?
misslily The Sahara was a green, lush land—(long ago!) / We were swimming where there's only sand! (yeah, swimming!)
Gossip
Would you visit Europa if you had to live entirely underground?
misslily Ancient rock art in southwest Egypt depicts people swimming and diverse African wildlife roaming where dry sand now reigns.
teacher Long red fractures called lineae crisscross Europa like giant scratches.
Fun Fact
Europa's water: Europa holds twice as much liquid water as Earth, despite being smaller than our Moon.
Glossary
savanna (noun)
A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees. Approximately 6,000 years ago, this lush ecosystem covered North Africa before shifting into the world's largest hot desert.
A grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees. Approximately 6,000 years ago, this lush ecosystem covered North Africa before shifting into the world's largest hot desert.
Quiz
Which European Space Agency mission launched in 2023 is also on its way to study Jupiter's icy moons?
misslily Lake Mega-Chad once covered over 350,000 square kilometers, leaving behind massive sediment beds that now fertilize the Amazon.
Quiz
How does the total volume of liquid water on Europa compare to Earth's oceans?
Quiz
What is the name of NASA's major space mission launched in 2024 to study Europa?
Quiz
What was the name of the ancient Saharan mega-lake that was once larger than the Caspian Sea?
Quiz
Approximately how thick do scientists estimate Europa's outer ice shell to be?
Quiz
Why is Europa's ocean kept in a liquid state instead of freezing completely solid?
Quiz
What type of animal fossils did paleontologists discover in Niger, proving the ancient Sahara was once full of water?
Quiz
What causes the dramatic cracks and fractures seen across the icy surface of Europa?
Quiz
What color are the mineral-rich cracks, known as lineae, on Europa's surface?
Quiz
How long ago did the last African Humid Period, which transformed the Sahara into a grassland, come to an end?
Quiz
Dust from the dried-up basins of the Sahara Desert is carried by wind to fertilize which major ecosystem?
Quiz
Which modern African country contains the 'Cave of Beasts,' famous for prehistoric rock art showing swimming figures?
Quiz
What prehistoric human activity is depicted in Saharan rock art, proving the green Sahara supported communities?
Quiz
What planetary cycle periodically triggers the greening of the Sahara Desert?
Quiz
How does a stronger West African monsoon affect the Sahara Desert?