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April 2017 - The Renown TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System
Report #26 - March 2017
An Unexplained Water Leakage
An artist's interpretation of water vapor "leaking" out of Europa's surface.
Water spurring from a frozen surface? The search for alien life may be closer than you think: in one of Jupiter's largest moons, Europa.
About Europa
One of Jupiter's several moons, Europa stands out with its rock-hard, frozen icy surface. This layer of ice is miles thick, encapsulating a massive ocean underneath its surface that is believed to be more massive that Earth's. That is, Europa could potentially house more water beneath its icy surface than our home planet!
The Action Above the Surface
Through a handful of observations made by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (one in 2012 and three in 2014), NASA scientists have noted what looks to be "towering columns of water vapor rising from Europa's icy exterior," some plumes reaching a tall 125 miles high. The source of this water vapor is thought to come from the moon's "hidden" ocean, rising from vents on Europa's uneven and rough surface.
An image of Europa's bumpy, stringy-like terrain.
2012 Observations
In 2012, scientists observed a "faint aurora" from the interaction between Europa and Jupiter's magnetic field. The light emissions from this aurora are in wavelengths like those of the "break up of water molecules," according to NASA. The conclusion? These emissions must be coming from water plumes on Europa's surface.
The Hubble Space Telescope images taken in 2012 (left) and 2014 (right). The suspected water plumes are circled in green.
2014 Observations
In 2014, a new team of scientists used a different approach to survey these unexplained water plumes: ultraviolet imaging. As Europa was orbiting Jupiter, the Hubble Space Telescope took a handful of images that depicted "silhouettes of plumes" that appeared to be rising 125 miles from the moon's surface. Assuming these plumes are water vapor, they match those that were observed in 2012, adding to the evidence that Europa's surface does in fact have water vapor spurring out of its frozen surface.
The Takeaway
While these plumes are periodic, or transient, only appearing in three out of the ten shots taken in the 2014 observations, learning more about them, like their composition, and why and how they erupt, can give scientists a greater understanding as to what the hidden ocean of Europa is like, possibly hinting at potential life in its cold depths. Of course, nothing can be set in stone until more information and further observations are made, but until then, Europa, like Proxima b, continues to be a hotspot of curiosity for habitable life.
SOURCES:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Cover image courtesy of NASA/ESA/STScI/G. Bacon
2014 Hubble image courtesy of NASA/ESA/W. Sparks
2012 Hubble image courtesy of NASA/ESA/L. Roth
Europa interior image courtesy of NASA/JPL
Europa surface image courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute