NASA just detected water vapor on a moon of Jupiter — yet another clue that Europa's hidden ocean could hold alien life

It's yet another clue that Europa could host alien life in the ocean below its icy crust. Overall, the moon may hold twice as much water as Earth.
An upcoming NASA spacecraft will travel to Europa to hunt for more clues about possible alien life.
Here's everything we know about Europa, its ocean, and its potential for alien life .
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An icy moon of Jupiter is looking more and more like it could hold alien life deep in its subsurface sea.

On Monday, NASA announced that scientists had officially measured water vapor on the moon, called Europa, for the first time.

The discovery is yet another sign that Europa has all the right ingredients for aliens given the right chemicals and a little deep-sea volcanic activity, it's possible that life could spring up (or already has) deep in the saltwater ocean below Europa's surface.

Here's why scientists are increasingly looking to Europa in their hunt for alien life.

On Monday, NASA announced that scientists had measured water vapor on Europa for the first time.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope first spotted such water vapor on Europa in 2013, possibly erupting from geysers. But nobody had directly measured it until now.

The discovery is yet another clue that Europa could host alien life.

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NASA/ESA/K. Retherford/SWRI

"Essential chemical elements (carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur) and sources of energy, two of three requirements for life, are found all over the solar system. But the third liquid water is somewhat hard to find beyond Earth," Lucas Paganini, a NASA planetary scientist who led the research, said in a press release . "While scientists have not yet detected liquid water directly, we've found the next best thing: water in vapor form."

Scientists have long suspected that Europa conceals an ocean below its icy surface possibly with twice the volume of Earths oceans.

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Jenny Cheng and Skye Gould/Business Insider

Liquid water is promising, but its not enough. For life to arise, Europa needs two other ingredients: a few essential chemical elements, and a source of energy.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

The necessary chemical compounds seem to be abundant on the icy moon: Scientists think Europa first formed with carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur.

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NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Asteroid impacts may have delivered even more life-giving elements.

In June, scientists spotted sodium chloride (also known as table salt) in Europas icy surface, indicating that the ocean below is more like Earths oceans than they previously thought.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

Chemical reactions between this salt and rocks on the ocean floor could create nitrogen compounds, which are crucial in the formation of life.

But theres one major problem: The sunlight that fuels life on Earth is 25 times fainter on Europa.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

Even the most durable species on Earth, which have adapted to the most extreme conditions, would probably not survive on Europa.

But Europas oceans may be much warmer than its surface, thanks to its oval-shaped orbit around Jupiter.

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NASA/JPL

Because it's tidally locked, like our own moon, the same side of Europa is always facing Jupiter.

As Europa follows its oval-shaped orbit, its distance from Jupiter changes, so the difference between the gravitational pull on Europa's two sides regularly grows and shrinks. These changes are called tides.

These tides stretch and relax Europa, cracking its surface ice and building friction that heats the moon from the inside.

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NASA/JPL

That's what keeps Europa's subsurface ocean from freezing solid.

These tides could crack Europas mantle and give rise to deep-sea hydrothermal vents. On Earth, such vents produce intense heat that rips apart molecules and sparks chemical reactions.

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OAR/National Undersea Research Program (NURP); NOAA

Earth's hydrothermal vents form where seawater seeps into the planet's rocky crust, meets volcanically active rock, and blasts back toward the surface.

Life on Earth crops up around these vents. These ecosystems dont need sunlight to survive.

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NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2016 Deepwater Exploration of the Marianas

On land, food chains rely on plants to convert sunlight to sugar. But in the deep-sea food chain, microbes convert hydrogen to sugar. Rather than photosynthesis (which is fueled by light), this process of "chemosynthesis" uses chemical reactions.

Nobody knows yet if Europa has deep-sea vents, much less alien life. NASA plans to investigate these questions with its Europa Clipper mission.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

The spacecraft is slated to fly close to the icy moon 45 times. NASA plans to launch it sometime in the 2020s.

The Clipper spacecraft is expected to fly through Europas water vapor plumes to analyze what might be in the ocean.

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NASA

Its radar tools will also measure the thickness of the ice and scan for subsurface water as the spacecraft gets as close as 16 miles to Europa's surface.

That investigation could help scientists prepare to land a future spacecraft on Europas surface and punch through the ice.

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NASA/JPL-Caltech

The future lander could search deep ice for signs of life in the ocean below, digging 4 inches below Europa's surface to extract samples for analysis in a mini, on-the-go laboratory.

NASA just detected water vapor on a moon of Jupiter — yet another clue that Europa's hidden ocean could hold alien life

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On Monday, NASA announced that scientists had measured water vapor on Europa for the first time.

The discovery is yet another clue that Europa could host alien life.

Scientists have long suspected that Europa conceals an ocean below its icy surface possibly with twice the volume of Earths oceans.

Liquid water is promising, but its not enough. For life to arise, Europa needs two other ingredients: a few essential chemical elements, and a source of energy.

The necessary chemical compounds seem to be abundant on the icy moon: Scientists think Europa first formed with carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur.

In June, scientists spotted sodium chloride (also known as table salt) in Europas icy surface, indicating that the ocean below is more like Earths oceans than they previously thought.

But theres one major problem: The sunlight that fuels life on Earth is 25 times fainter on Europa.

But Europas oceans may be much warmer than its surface, thanks to its oval-shaped orbit around Jupiter.

These tides stretch and relax Europa, cracking its surface ice and building friction that heats the moon from the inside.

These tides could crack Europas mantle and give rise to deep-sea hydrothermal vents. On Earth, such vents produce intense heat that rips apart molecules and sparks chemical reactions.

Life on Earth crops up around these vents. These ecosystems dont need sunlight to survive.

Nobody knows yet if Europa has deep-sea vents, much less alien life. NASA plans to investigate these questions with its Europa Clipper mission.

The Clipper spacecraft is expected to fly through Europas water vapor plumes to analyze what might be in the ocean.

That investigation could help scientists prepare to land a future spacecraft on Europas surface and punch through the ice.

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NASA just detected water vapor on a moon of Jupiter — yet another clue that Europa's hidden ocean could hold alien life

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On Monday, NASA announced that scientists had measured water vapor on Europa for the first time.

The discovery is yet another clue that Europa could host alien life.

Scientists have long suspected that Europa conceals an ocean below its icy surface possibly with twice the volume of Earths oceans.

Liquid water is promising, but its not enough. For life to arise, Europa needs two other ingredients: a few essential chemical elements, and a source of energy.

The necessary chemical compounds seem to be abundant on the icy moon: Scientists think Europa first formed with carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur.

In June, scientists spotted sodium chloride (also known as table salt) in Europas icy surface, indicating that the ocean below is more like Earths oceans than they previously thought.

But theres one major problem: The sunlight that fuels life on Earth is 25 times fainter on Europa.

But Europas oceans may be much warmer than its surface, thanks to its oval-shaped orbit around Jupiter.

These tides stretch and relax Europa, cracking its surface ice and building friction that heats the moon from the inside.

These tides could crack Europas mantle and give rise to deep-sea hydrothermal vents. On Earth, such vents produce intense heat that rips apart molecules and sparks chemical reactions.

Life on Earth crops up around these vents. These ecosystems dont need sunlight to survive.

Nobody knows yet if Europa has deep-sea vents, much less alien life. NASA plans to investigate these questions with its Europa Clipper mission.

The Clipper spacecraft is expected to fly through Europas water vapor plumes to analyze what might be in the ocean.

That investigation could help scientists prepare to land a future spacecraft on Europas surface and punch through the ice.

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

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Top 10 African countries with the most centi-millionaires in 2024

7 most influential Africans in the world 2024 -TIME

5 African countries with the least expensive freelancers

African billionaires are fleeing their home continent amidst economic downturn

Fear of a new epidemic pushes President Putin to collaborate with Africa

Nigerian chess master to begin 58-hour Guinness World Record attempt at Times Square today

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