Flexi Says: Jupiter and its moons have fascinated scientists at least since Galileo turned his first telescope on the planet. At first, the discovery of Jupiter's moons helped scientists accept the sun-centric model of the solar system. More recently, scientists have been interested in the large number and diversity of moons orbiting Jupiter. Scientists study the moons to learn about different ways that moons can form and the effects that a giant planet like Jupiter has on other bodies in the solar system. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the moons of Jupiter (and Saturn) is the possibility that some may harbor life. Jupiter's moon Europa is of particular interest because it has water ice and appears to have an ocean of liquid water beneath the ice since the body has internal heat.
