There's Salt Water On The Surface Of Europa, Which Could Be Good News For Extraterrestrial Life
Liquid At Europa's Surface Based on new evidence from Jupiter's moon Europa, astronomers hypothesize that chloride salts bubble up from the icy moon's global liquid ocean and reach the frozen surface, where they are bombarded with sulfur from volcanoes on Jupiter's largest moon, Io. NASA/JPL-CaltechThe moon's thick ocean may derive energy from chemicals donated by nearby Io. Scientists are pretty confident Europa is home to a vast subterranean ocean, but could it have any water on its surface? According to a new study, maybe yes. That's big news for anyone hoping to send a robotic explorer to the icy moon. And it could be big news for anyone interested in the possibility of life on that Jovian satellite. Salty water from Europa's 60-mile-thick ocean makes its way to the surface somehow through cracks in its ice sheet, according to new research. Once it's there, it is exposed to sulfur from the...