Jupiter’s moon Europa has long been a candidate for hosting life in our solar system due to the presence of a subsurface ocean of liquid water. Now, using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered carbon dioxide on Europa’s icy surface, suggesting that the ocean contains the chemicals necessary for life. The carbon likely originated from the subsurface ocean and was deposited relatively recently. This finding has significant implications for the potential habitability of Europa’s ocean. The discovery was made in a region of geologically young terrain called Tara Regio, where evidence of ocean-derived salt has also been detected. The finding may shape future missions to Europa, including NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper spacecraft. While no evidence of plume activity was detected during the observations, researchers acknowledge that plumes could still exist at different times. The James Webb Space Telescope, an international collaboration led by NASA, is shedding light on our solar system, distant planets, and the universe’s origins. The findings will be published in Science on September 21.
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2023/news-2023-113