NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reveals that carbon dioxide is coming from the ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa, raising hopes for the possibility of life.
It has been shown that Jupiter's moon Europa
NASA's Webb Finds Carbon Source on Surface of Jupiter's Moon Europa | NASA
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasa-s-webb-finds-carbon-source-on-surface-of-jupiter-s-moon-europa
Europa is known as a star covered in ice, but in 2013, the Hubble Space Telescope observed ``water spouts,'' indicating that an ocean of liquid water is hidden beneath the thick ice. Possibilities are shown. Since liquid water is an important substance for the survival of living things, the possibility that life exists on Europa has emerged.
Water gushing from the surface of Jupiter's moon 'Europa' observed, a step forward to discovering extraterrestrial life - GIGAZINE
According to NASA, although it has been shown that there is a possibility that there is a large amount of water on Europa, the presence or absence of ``carbon'', a substance important for living things, has not been confirmed. Therefore, the research team used the James Webb Space Telescope's infrared spectrometer `` NIRSpec '' to analyze the materials present on the surface of Europa.
The analysis revealed that carbon dioxide exists in an area of Europa called the Tara region. Below is an image showing the analysis results by NIRSpec. The white pixels displayed in the three images on the left indicate the location of carbon dioxide.
According to NASA, the carbon dioxide discovered on Europa is not brought by flying objects such as meteorites, but is likely to have occurred in Europa's underground ocean. Geronimo Villanueva, a member of the research team, said, ``Earth life is based on carbon. Understanding the chemical properties of Europa's ocean will help determine whether Europa's ocean is suitable for living organisms. It will help you decide.' Samantha Trumbo, also a member of the research team, said: ``We have observational evidence that the carbon dioxide present on Europa's surface comes from Europa's oceans. 'No. Carbon is an essential element for living things,' he said, expressing his hopes for the possibility of living things existing on Europa.
In addition, NASA plans to launch the unmanned probe 'Europa Clipper' towards Europa in October 2024.
NASA's Europa Clipper
https://europa.nasa.gov/
You can check the assembly status of Europa Clipper on the live broadcast below.
Live From the Clean Room - Building Europa Clipper - YouTube
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• Discord | 'Do you think there is life on Europa?' | GIGAZINE
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