Man has always gazed up at the stars and wondered whether there is life other than ours. In modern times we have made huge discoveries. Technological advances of the last fifty years have given us new insight and knowledge about other planets.

Mars has long been considered the most likely place for life other than ours to exist. Recently space probes have confirmed the existence of water on the planet. Scientists have often speculated whether life once existed there and whether, when the planet warms up sufficiently, life might not be possible. It has an atmosphere not unlike ours on earth.

We now know that all the planets in our solar system are currently heating up. This is not a new phenomenon, nor something unusual. Planets warm and cool over the millennia as they change their positions in an ever-continuing cycle. Earth is not immune to this cycle.

So what would happen if life on our planet became unsustainable? In time it may be too hot for human life to exist on earth. Well, hopefully, by that time we would have found a new home: safer, cooler and large enough to allow everyone plenty of space to exist peacefully.

One such planet could be Europa. If you have not heard of it do not fret. It is merely one of the satellites of the planet Jupiter. It orbits about five hundred million miles from the sun. It has not been considered as hugely important.

However, it has come to light that this planet contains a huge expanse of water. It is hidden under a thick coat of ice. The average temperature is around minus a hundred degrees Celsius. Pretty cold you might think. However, the gravitational force of Jupiter apparently keeps this ocean from freezing. Beneath the icy cloud cover is a mild climate.

Well, if you think about it, our polar ice caps were what kept our planet at such a habitable temperature. Nowadays, with global warming these are melting at an alarming rate.

If the enormous tidal activity on Europa could keep the oceans from freezing they could create volcanic activity. The resultant undersea warmth could possibly host primitive life forms as it does on earth. Primitive life forms can evolve into complex ones.

It is an intriguing thought.