Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Water vapor detected on Jupiter's moon
Europa,
Found by Galileo Galilei in 1610 along with
three other brother moons, Europa, [jʊəˈroʊpə] is one the 79 known moons of Jupiter. Slightly smaller than Earth's
Moon, Europa is the sixth-largest moon in our solar system. It has a very thin
atmosphere, composed primarily of oxygen. Because of its smooth surface, scientists
have been expecting that a water ocean exists beneath it, which is one of the
three essential ingredients for extraterrestrial life along with energy sources
and chemicals like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Recently, scientists have discovered the
presence of water vapor above the surface. Though it is not yet liquid water, water
in vapor form is still the next best thing. In 2025, NASA is planning to launch
Europa Clipper, an interplanetary spacecraft to make flyby inspections of to
find more about this distant, cold moon in an attempt to find if it indeed has a suitable environment to host life.
Do you want to visit this potentially habitable
moon? Be prepared to land on the surface whose temperatures are below -150°C.
But you may also want to be reminded the message repeatedly sent to us by the
creator of the monolith in Space Odyssey 2010, “All these worlds are yours, but
Europa.”
Enjoy reading the article and learn about Europa.
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