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Economic Times
7 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
Jupiter's moon Europa is not what it looks like; shocking revelations from new study break scientists' decades-old beliefs
A recent study revealed several new observations about the hidden chemistry of the icy interior of Jupiter's moon Europa, challenging scientists' long-held beliefs. Jupiter's moon Europa has been a subject of deep study for scientists, which has led to several observations over decades. A study that was carried out recently revealed many fresh observations about the hidden chemistry of the icy moon's interior, which challenge the long-held beliefs of scientists. According to the latest observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope, it was revealed that Europa's frozen surface is a dynamic world that's far from frozen in time. The findings came as a surprise to scientists who had pictured Europa's frozen surface as a still and silent shell for decades. "We think that the surface is fairly porous and warm enough in some areas to allow the ice to recrystallize rapidly," Richard Cartwright, a spectroscopist at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory and lead author of the new study, said in a statement, according to What's even more intriguing is what this surface activity tells us about Europa's subsurface ocean. The geologic activity and constant exchange between the surface and the subsurface make 'chaos terrains.' These are areas where ice blocks have broken apart, moved, and refrozen. These regions are especially valuable because they might offer direct access to what's happening inside Europa's interior. The latest study focused on two regions in Europa's southern hemisphere: Tara Regio and Powys Regio. Tara Regio stands out as one of the moon's most intriguing areas. According to observations from the JWST, crystalline ice exists both on Europa's surface and deeper below, challenging previous assumptions about how ice is distributed there. Scientists can have access to valuable insights pertaining to Europa's chemistry as well as its potential for habitability, they explained in the paper, by measuring the spectral properties of these "chaos" regions using remotely sensed data. The paper was published on May 28, 2025, in The Planetary Science Journal."Our data showed strong indications that what we are seeing must be sourced from the interior, perhaps from a subsurface ocean nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) beneath Europa's thick icy shell," Ujjwal Raut, program manager at the Southwest Research Institute and co-author of the study, said in the statement, understand how water freezes on Europa, Ujjwal Raut and his team carried out laboratory experiments. The surface is constantly bombarded on Europa by charged particles from ice structure on Europa is disrupted by the intense radiation, which is not the case on Earth, where ice naturally forms a hexagonal crystal structure. The radiation on Europa causes the ice to become what's known as amorphous ice. It is a disordered, noncrystalline experiments were crucial, as they played a key role in demonstrating how the ice changes over time. By studying the manner in which ice transforms between different states, scientists can learn more about the moon's surface dynamics. The observations through the experiments, combined with fresh data from JWST, add to a set of findings showing that a vast, hidden liquid ocean lies beneath Europa's icy shell."In this same region […] we see a lot of other unusual things, including the best evidence for sodium chloride, like table salt, probably originating from its interior ocean," Cartwright said. "We also see some of the strongest evidence for CO2 and hydrogen peroxide on Europa. The chemistry in this location is really strange and exciting," he regions, marked by fractured surface features, may point to geologic activity pushing material up from beneath Europa's icy shell.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Jupiter's moon Europa is not what it looks like; shocking revelations from new study break scientists' decades-old beliefs
Jupiter 's moon Europa has been a subject of deep study for scientists, which has led to several observations over decades. A study that was carried out recently revealed many fresh observations about the hidden chemistry of the icy moon's interior, which challenge the long-held beliefs of scientists. According to the latest observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope , it was revealed that Europa's frozen surface is a dynamic world that's far from frozen in time. The findings came as a surprise to scientists who had pictured Europa's frozen surface as a still and silent shell for decades. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Analytics Data Science Management Operations Management Product Management Digital Marketing Finance PGDM Project Management CXO Degree Data Science Cybersecurity Leadership Healthcare Technology Public Policy healthcare Artificial Intelligence Others MBA others MCA Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details "We think that the surface is fairly porous and warm enough in some areas to allow the ice to recrystallize rapidly," Richard Cartwright, a spectroscopist at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory and lead author of the new study, said in a statement, according to What's even more intriguing is what this surface activity tells us about Europa's subsurface ocean. The geologic activity and constant exchange between the surface and the subsurface make 'chaos terrains.' These are areas where ice blocks have broken apart, moved, and refrozen. These regions are especially valuable because they might offer direct access to what's happening inside Europa's interior. The latest study focused on two regions in Europa's southern hemisphere: Tara Regio and Powys Regio. Tara Regio stands out as one of the moon's most intriguing areas. According to observations from the JWST, crystalline ice exists both on Europa's surface and deeper below, challenging previous assumptions about how ice is distributed there. Live Events Scientists can have access to valuable insights pertaining to Europa's chemistry as well as its potential for habitability, they explained in the paper, by measuring the spectral properties of these "chaos" regions using remotely sensed data. The paper was published on May 28, 2025, in The Planetary Science Journal. "Our data showed strong indications that what we are seeing must be sourced from the interior, perhaps from a subsurface ocean nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) beneath Europa's thick icy shell," Ujjwal Raut, program manager at the Southwest Research Institute and co-author of the study, said in the statement, reported. What is the hidden chemistry To understand how water freezes on Europa, Ujjwal Raut and his team carried out laboratory experiments. The surface is constantly bombarded on Europa by charged particles from space. The ice structure on Europa is disrupted by the intense radiation, which is not the case on Earth, where ice naturally forms a hexagonal crystal structure. The radiation on Europa causes the ice to become what's known as amorphous ice. It is a disordered, noncrystalline form. Why experiments mattered The experiments were crucial, as they played a key role in demonstrating how the ice changes over time. By studying the manner in which ice transforms between different states, scientists can learn more about the moon's surface dynamics. The observations through the experiments, combined with fresh data from JWST, add to a set of findings showing that a vast, hidden liquid ocean lies beneath Europa's icy shell. "In this same region […] we see a lot of other unusual things, including the best evidence for sodium chloride, like table salt, probably originating from its interior ocean," Cartwright said. "We also see some of the strongest evidence for CO2 and hydrogen peroxide on Europa. The chemistry in this location is really strange and exciting," he added. These regions, marked by fractured surface features, may point to geologic activity pushing material up from beneath Europa's icy shell.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Ahead of NASA's mission, James Webb telescope finds cues of a liquid water ocean under Europa's surface
Jupiter's icy moon Europa has been one of the most promising places in our solar system to find environments suitable for life beyond Earth. In the 1960s, ground-based telescopic observations noted that Europa's surface was mostly made of water ice, with scientists speculating that the almost Earth-sized moon has a saltwater ocean that holds twice as much water as our planet. Now, new observations from the James Webb Telescope (JWST) are revealing that Europa, which was often pictured as a still, silent shell actually has an active surface. In a series of experiments conducted by Southwest Research Institute, it was found that Europa's surface ice is crystallising at different rates in different places. This suggests that the planet is currently undergoing geologic activity, with scientists labelling the ongoing cycle between the subsurface and surface as 'chaos terrains'. The study focused on two regions located in Europa's southern hemisphere – Tar Regio and Powys Regio, with the latter often referred to as one of the most intriguing areas on the moon's surface. In these locations, the James Webb Telescope found crystallised ice both on the surface and below it. The experiments were crucial for scientists to understand how the ice transforms between different states. The result of these experiments, when combined with the newly received data from the James Webb Telescope, hints that Europa's subsurface may be hiding a huge liquid ocean beneath the surface. Scientists also found some clues that Europa may have Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen peroxide. Upon further evaluation, it was found that CO2 on Europa's surface is unstable due to the moon's radioactive environment, which suggests that these geological processes were recent. Ujjwal Raut, a program manager at the Southwest Research Institute and the co-author of the study, said that the 'data showed strong indications that what we are seeing must be sourced from the interior, perhaps from a subsurface ocean nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) beneath Europa's thick icy shell. The evidence for a liquid ocean underneath Europa's icy shell is mounting, which makes this so exciting as we continue to learn more.' In October last year, NASA launched Europa Clipper, a spacecraft that will explore Europa to determine if its underground ocean is habitable. However, the spacecraft will first head towards Mars and take around five and a half years to reach Jupiter's icy moon.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
James Webb telescope spots weird changes on Jupiter's icy moon Europa
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. You'd think that icy worlds are frozen in time and space because they're — well — icy. However, planetary scientists know that all worlds can and do change, no matter how long it takes. That's true for Europa, one of Jupiter's four largest moons. Recent observations made by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) zero in on the Europan surface ices and show they're constantly changing. Dr. Ujjwal Raut of the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) reported on the changes reflected in the JWST studies. Not only does Europa's surface have amorphous ice, but there's evidence of crystalline ice scattered around there. That indicates the presence of an active water source, such as the subsurface ocean. It also points toward geologic processes that affect the surface. The changes seen at Europa are very short-term, perhaps two weeks in some places. "Our data showed strong indications that what we are seeing must be sourced from the interior, perhaps from a subsurface ocean nearly 20 miles (30 kilometers) beneath Europa's thick icy shell," said Raut. "This region of fractured surface materials could point to geologic processes pushing subsurface materials up from below. When we see evidence of CO2 at the surface, we think it must have come from an ocean below the surface. The evidence for a liquid ocean underneath Europa's icy shell is mounting, which makes this so exciting as we continue to learn more." As a Galilean moon, Europa orbits near the planet and within its strong magnetic field. Thus, the surface gets bombarded by radiation. It is tidally locked, meaning it shows the same face to Jupiter as it orbits. Europa has a rocky and metallic interior, covered by an ocean and topped by an icy shell that's fairly young in geological terms. It appears to be no more than 180 million years old. That tells us it has been resurfaced from within. JWST's spectral studies of the surface show that the ice crystallizes in different ways in various places. Generally, water ice freezes into hexagonal crystals. That's what we see on Earth when it snows or when rain freezes. However, Earth's surface is largely protected from outside influences such as radiation and the ice stays in crystalline form much longer. Related: 'Previously unimaginable': James Webb telescope breaks its own record again, discovering farthest known galaxy in the universe On Europa, charged particles trapped in Jupiter's magnetic field bombard the surface. That disrupts the crystalline structure of the ice, turning it into amorphous ice. If that's all that ever happened to Europa's surface, you'd expect to see amorphous ice everywhere. Instead, the JWST spectral studies showed evidence of crystalline ice. There are also other surface "units", such as ridges and cracks. Radiation doesn't explain them, but other processes can create them. Combined with the new data collected by JWST, Raut said they are seeing increasing evidence for a liquid ocean beneath the icy surface. Scientists thought that Europa's surface was covered by a very thin (perhaps half a meter thick) layer of amorphous ice protecting crystalline ice below. The new evidence of crystalline ice on the surface also shows up in other areas, especially an area known as the Tara Regio. According to co-author Richard Cartwright of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the surface may be different than expected in places. "We think that the surface is fairly porous and warm enough in some areas to allow the ice to recrystallize rapidly," said Cartwright. "Also, in this same region, generally referred to as a chaos region, we see a lot of other unusual things, including the best evidence for sodium chloride, like table salt, probably originating from its interior ocean. We also see some of the strongest evidence for CO2 and hydrogen peroxide on Europa. The chemistry in this location is really strange and exciting." Related: How many moons does Jupiter have? The CO2 found in this area includes the most common type of carbon, with an atomic mass of 12 and containing six protons and six neutrons, as well as the rarer, heavier isotope that has an atomic mass of 13 with six protons and seven neutrons. That raises questions about the origin of the CO2. "It is hard to explain, but every road leads back to an internal origin, which is in line with other hypotheses about the origin of 12CO2 detected in Tara Regio," Cartwright said. So, how is water forced to the surface? There are two main sources of heat at work: tidal heating and radioactive decay at the core. Both of these processes warm the subsurface ocean and force water to the surface. What causes the chaotic terrain seen at Europa in such places as Tara Regio? There are several possible ways. One way is through the formation of chaos regions — those places that appear to be cracked and jumbled. They could be the result of material forcing its way via diapirs (think of them as stovepipes from below that convey warmer water and slush up to the surface). Once that water gets to the surface, it freezes rapidly into the crystalline ice JWST detected. The water also brings up dissolved CO2 and other materials. RELATED STORIES —Jupiter's moon Europa lacks oxygen, making it less hospitable for sustaining life —Jupiter's 'tormented moon' Io just unleashed the most powerful volcanic event ever seen —If alien life exists on Europa, we may find it in hydrothermal vents Another method for water delivery to the surface is through plumes. These geysers shower the surface with ice grains. Other mechanisms that could be forming crystalline ice are migration from other parts of the surface and impact exposure. Impacts are well known to "garden out" fresh ice in a short period of time. Such a collision may well explain the ice seen at Tara. This resurfacing with crystalline ice is relatively short-lived. That's because the constant bombardment of charged particles works immediately to create amorphous ice. The authors of the paper (see below) state that the charged particle-driven process that changes the ice may work in as little as 15 days on Europa's leading hemisphere. In other places, that might work faster. So, given that Europa is constantly refreshing its surface and charged particles are rapidly breaking that ice down, Europa is a busy, constantly changing place. The upcoming Europa Clipper mission should be able to study these regions in more detail during its many close passes of this tiny moon. The original version of this article was published on Universe Today.
