科学家在 American Astronomical Society 的第 248 次会议上发表了基于 13 年雷达观测的 Europa 新发现。研究结果指出，Europa 表面散射电波的方式与岩石世界显著不同。这项长期研究与 1980 年代至 1990 年代之间进行的主要雷达研究一致，但提供了更大量的观测数据。

这项由 University of California, Los Angeles 博士生 Tunhui Xie 参与并解释的研究，覆盖了这颗冰冷卫星更宽广的自转相位。在 Jupiter 拥有的 101 颗卫星中，科学家对 Europa、Ganymede 和 Callisto 特别感兴趣，因为研究人员怀疑这些卫星在冰壳下方拥有地下海洋。

为了进一步探索这些潜在的地下海洋，太空机构已启动专属任务。NASA 的 Europa Clipper 和 ESA 的 Juice 目前正前往该系统。天文学家希望这些任务能结合过去 13 年收集的电波散射数据，以确认液态水的存在。

Scientists presented new findings on Europa at the 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, based on 13 years of radar observations. The results indicate that the way Europa's surface scatters radio waves is distinctly different from rocky worlds. This long-term research is consistent with the major radar study conducted between the 1980s and 1990s, but it provides a much larger volume of observation data.

This research, involved and explained by University of California, Los Angeles PhD student Tunhui Xie, covers a much broader rotational phase of the icy moon. Among the 101 moons possessed by Jupiter, scientists are particularly interested in Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, because researchers suspect they host subsurface oceans beneath their icy crusts.

To further explore these potential subsurface oceans, space agencies have launched dedicated missions. NASA's Europa Clipper and ESA's Juice are currently on their way to the system. Astronomers hope these missions will build upon the radio wave scattering data gathered over the past 13 years to confirm the existence of liquid water.