木星的冰卫星木卫二 Jupiter's icy moon Europa (© NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute)

木星的冰卫星木卫二 Jupiter's icy moon Europa (© NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute)

一轮蓝月亮 A blue moon

世界空间周开幕

今天，我们要去探索宇宙。世界空间周的设立，是为了庆祝空间科学技术为改善人类生活水平所作出的贡献。除了帮助我们了解我们所生活的宇宙，太空探索在帮助科学家开发新药物、创造新能源、改进农业技术方面也发挥了重要作用。今年的世界空间周的主题是空间与气候变化，为了庆祝空间技术在了解和监测地球气候变化方面发挥的重要作用，将有83个国家会举办相关的庆祝活动。

太空探索还带来了太阳系的神奇照片，今天的这张就是其中之一。木卫二是木星已知的95颗卫星之一。它的表面主要由冻结的水构成，这些水破裂后又重新冻结，形成了我们在其表面看到的图案。事实上，虽然木卫二的大小只有地球的四分之一，但它的含水量可能是地球海洋的两倍。世界空间周是花点时间欣赏太阳系内外奇观的最佳时机！

World Space Week begins

Today, we're blasting off to explore the cosmos. World Space Week celebrates the science and technology that go into exploring our universe, and how it benefits us back on Earth. Space exploration has helped scientists develop new medicines, create new power sources, and even improve farming techniques. This year's theme is Space and Climate Change; events will be held in 83 countries to champion the role of space technology in understanding and monitoring Earth's climate.

Space exploration has also led to amazing photographs of our solar system, like the one featured here today. Europa is one of Jupiter's 95 known moons. Its surface is mainly made up of frozen water, which has broken up and refrozen, creating the patterns seen on its surface. Although Europa is just a quarter of the size of Earth, it may contain twice the amount of water. Space Week is the perfect time to take a moment to appreciate the wonders of our solar system, and beyond!