A Nasa probe that explored Jupiter’s moon Europa, flew through a giant plume of water vapour that erupted from the icy surface and reached a hundred miles high, according to the latest data provided by the spacecraft. This recent discovery has further cemented multiple theories suggesting the potential presence of alien life on one of Jupiter’s moons. Some scientists believe that the Jovian moon, one of four first spotted by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610, is the most probably place to consider, in the hunt for alien life.
Nasa’s Galileo spacecraft spent eight years in orbit around Jupiter and made its closest pass over Europa on 16 December 1997. Europa was recorded to be nearly the same size as the moon that orbit’s Earth. As the probe dropped beneath an altitude of 250 miles, its sensors twitched with peculiar signals that scientists were unable to decipher at the time.
The newly analyzed Galileo data provides “compelling independent evidence that there seems to be a plume on Europa,” said study lead author Xianzhe Jia, an associate professor in the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering at the University of Michigan.
On its closest flight, the probe sailed over Europa at more than 2,230 meters per hour. As it swept past, the instruments onboard reported a brief and sharp twist in the magnetic field and a rapid increase in the density of plasma (ionized gas) the spacecraft was flying through. Computer simulations created by Xianzhe Jia showed that a 120-mile-high geyser erupting from a relatively warm patch on Europa would project the same readings.
However, scientific discoveries can only materialize theories to a certain extent. The moons are hardly habitable housing an excruciating surface temperature that doesn’t rise above -160 C (-256 F). Existence of life at the moment seems only probable through the heat generated from tidal kneading driven by the massive gravitational forces that come with an orbit around Jupiter. Life may be thriving around hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the ocean in a world of frigid, eternal night.
In a relentless search for life beyond our planet, this may be our best bet. With endless possibilities in an infinite universe, the most impossible conditions may be the home to fascinating alien forms with different biological constructions. For all we know, we might discover forms that defy life as we know it and we can be assured that science is getting us there by the day!