Space & Astronomy
NASA finds 'evidence of activity' on Europa
By
T.K. RandallSeptember 22, 2016 ·
23 comments
What has NASA found on Europa ? Image Credit: Britney Schmidt/Dead Pixel VFX
The space agency is set to hold a press conference on Monday to announce its latest Hubble findings.
There was much excitement on social media recently when NASA revealed that it was about to make an announcement about "surprising evidence of activity" on Jupiter's moon Europa - a freezing world thought to be one of the best places to look for alien life in our solar system.
While the press conference, which will be taking place on Monday, has sparked much speculation about the possible discovery of extraterrestrial life, NASA has since moved to quell such rumors by offering a statement debunking the idea that the announcement is anything to do with aliens.
Instead, the announcement is far more likely to be about the elusive plumes of water vapor first spotted on Europa by the Hubble Space Telescope four years ago.
If these turn out to be bringing water up from the sub-surface ocean below, it would mean that scientists will be able to analyze the water's chemical composition without having to drill down through the moon's thick icy shell to gain access to it.
Update: Details of NASA's announcement can be viewed -
here.
Source:
Independent |
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Tags:
Europa, Jupiter
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