awesome view of Jupiter and a rocket traveling to a colony on Europa moon - concept art - 3D rendering - Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

The James Webb telescope has found a carbon source on a Jupiter satellite

by Lewis Carroll

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Researchers suspect there is extraterrestrial life on Jupiter’s satellite Europa. It is believed that under a thick layer of ice is a huge ocean that contains twice as much salt water as all of Earth’s oceans combined.

Carbon in the satellite’s ocean

Analyses of data from the James Webb Space Telescope have now revealed evidence that the ocean contains carbon, an important building block for life. Two studies on the topic have been published in the journal Science.

The telescope recently detected large amounts of carbon dioxide on the icy surface of Europa. Until now, it was unclear where the CO2 came from. It is quite possible that it hit Jupiter’s satellite as a result of a meteorite impact. Another theory: it originated from the ocean beneath the ice crust.

James Webb Space Telescope in Space Milky way in the background "Elements of this image furnished by NASA ".
James Webb Space Telescope in Space Milky way in the background “Elements of this image furnished by NASA ” Author: muratart.

Research has discovered the source of CO2

Research findings now support the second theory. In one study, scientists from Cornell University in New York and astrophysicists from the California Institute of Technology estimated the distribution of CO2 across Europe. According to the reports, the greatest accumulation of CO2 is in the Tara region.

This region, dubbed “Chaos Land” by astronomers, is a geologically young and active area where the ice surface has partially broken up. It is likely that there is a carbon source beneath the surface – hence the water must contain carbon.

CO2 is coming to the surface

A second study by NASA also confirmed the presence of larger CO2 reserves in the Tara region. Since they were unable to detect active geysers, it is likely that the leaky surface of the Tara region allowed CO2 to come to the surface.

In addition, CO2 is mixing with other chemical compounds. However, it could not be determined whether it originated from an abiotic or biogenic source. Ultimately, both studies concluded that there must be a lot of carbon in Europa’s underground ocean.

New insights from the Juice and Europa Clipper studies

Upcoming NASA and ESA missions may provide more information about possible ocean life. ESA’s Juice mission, launched in April 2023, is expected to arrive at Jupiter by 2031. NASA’s Europa Clipper probe is scheduled to launch in the coming years to explore Jupiter’s satellite.

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