The painting is of a futuristic water world. Its name suggests a fanciful depiction of Europa, one of four moons of Jupiter originally discovered by Galileo in January 1610. We now know that Europa has a surface of ice and an ocean of water beneath. If complex extraterrestrial life exists in our Solar System, Europe may be one of the best places to explore. Space missions to Europa are planned. Arthur C. Clarke expressed his particular interest in Europa as a possible habitat for life in his sequel to "2001: A Space Odyssey," "2010: Odyssey Two".