Side-by-side images from flybys of Europa show close-up views of Jupiter's icy moon over 20 years

[{"selector":"#anim-88181320-83ce-4050-ac51-df1689e0066f [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-35.937499914669296%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google On Thursday, NASA's Juno spacecraft flew by Jupiter's ice moon Europa.

[{"selector":"#anim-889837d9-57c2-45d2-81ed-4142605bc0aa [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-53.571819027668575%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google Researchers looked at the water below the icy shell of the moon and the surface of Europa.

[{"selector":"#anim-75ecfd15-6c0a-4c00-8d59-82c4c8fed147 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-26.92657752989428%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google Future expeditions to the moon to investigate its underlying water will be informed by the new data, according to astronomers.

[{"selector":"#anim-c2f0a6a4-5bc4-4311-9572-bac69c090dca [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-34.17795556901708%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google It is the closest humankind has come to the frozen planet in more than 20 years.

[{"selector":"#anim-f1070226-ea88-4532-97b8-b2c39f95dae1 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-34.18166469591597%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google In order to explore Jupiter, the solar system's largest planet, the Juno mission was launched in 2011.

[{"selector":"#anim-b9477989-d719-4a1d-a028-2af7343a4a8a [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-30.135758076185866%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google After the probe's initial mission was successfully completed in 2021, the Juno team used it to gather information about Jupiter's moons, including Europa, Ganymede, and Io.

[{"selector":"#anim-5ee81bbe-bcb1-419d-9d59-9211d2db7964 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-47.84343155740461%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google Juno observed Europa during its flyby on Thursday and captured high-resolution pictures of its surface.

[{"selector":"#anim-76c5edd4-f93f-4a07-9b94-6b48e13701a2 [data-leaf-element=\"true\"]","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-34.85163192038323%, 0, 0)","translate3d(0%, 0, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":2000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] Credit by Google Following NASA's Galileo mission, which last passed past Europa in 2000, comes Juno.