Screen Shot 2015-03-13 at 10.28.36 AM
Photo via NASA/artist rendering of Ganymede

This week, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope found that Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, has as vast, salty ocean under its surface that might have more water than “all of Earth’s surface water combined.”

That’s the news as reported by NASA and here by Scientific American. Buried beneath a “95-mile crust of mostly ice,” scientists think the ocean is about 60 miles thick, 10 times the depth of the Earth’s oceans.

“This discovery marks a significant milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, in an online statement. “In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy crust of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth.”

NASA scientists have long thought there was water under Ganymede’s surface, the largest moon in our solar system at over 3,200 miles across. It’s significant to find water because it is an important sign of the existence of life.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline

Job Listings on GeekWork

Find more jobs on GeekWork. Employers, post a job here.