Scientists have recently made an intriguing discovery on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. For the first time, they have found carbon dioxide (CO2) on its frozen surface using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. This finding is particularly significant because CO2 is an essential building block of life on Earth. The researchers believe that the CO2 may have originated from the vast ocean believed to exist beneath Europa’s icy shell. This suggests that it could have been produced by lifeforms living within the moon’s ocean.
Europa is a fascinating celestial body that has drawn the attention of astrobiologists due to its potential for hosting extraterrestrial life. Along with Earth and Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Europa is one of the few locations in our solar system with liquid water. Scientists are almost certain that Europa’s hidden saltwater ocean contains twice as much water as Earth’s entire global ocean. Its subsurface ocean, spanning beneath a 10-mile-thick icy shell, may be home to lifeforms that have adapted to survive in extreme cold temperatures.
To investigate whether Europa’s ocean has the necessary chemical elements to support life, scientists used data from the Webb telescope’s near-infrared spectrometer (NIRSpec) to map CO2 on the moon’s surface. The NIRSpec is capable of measuring the near-infrared spectrum of multiple objects simultaneously, providing insights into their temperature, mass, and chemical composition. They discovered that the highest concentration of CO2 was in an area called Tara Regio, which exhibits chaotic terrain with jagged ridges and cracks. This disrupted surface ice suggests an exchange of material between Europa’s subsurface ocean and its icy exterior.
Although the researchers don’t believe the CO2 came from sources outside of Europa’s ocean, such as meteorite impacts, they cannot rule out the possibility that it originated from the moon’s interior. It could be derived from rock-like carbonate minerals that broke apart under the influence of irradiation, turning into CO2. Previous observations from the Hubble Space Telescope also indicate the presence of ocean-derived salt in Tara Regio, making it distinctively yellow compared to the rest of Europa’s white plains.
Although this discovery is significant, more research is needed to fully understand the composition of Europa’s ocean. Future space missions, including the European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, are planned to study Europa further. These missions aim to unravel the mysteries of Europa’s hidden ocean, but until then, scientists will continue to analyze the available evidence to determine the potential habitability of this enigmatic moon.
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