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An international research team
led out of NASA’s Goddard Space

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Flight Center have obtained the
first direct detection of water

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vapor on Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
This came in the form of an

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infrared signal, captured by an
instrument on the Keck Telescope

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in Hawaii. Past NASA missions
and earthbound telescopes have

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found strong evidence suggesting
there is an ocean of water

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beneath Europa’s icy surface,
and plumes seemingly bursting

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thru cracks into space. In this
recent study, the scientists

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observed the entire surface of
Europa over seventeen dates in

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2016 and 2017. In one instance,
there was a short-lived spike in

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infrared light – a spectral
fingerprint that could only be

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due to water vapor. When water
escapes from Europa’s subsurface

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reservoirs, the resulting vapor
is exposed to radiation from the

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sun, and the H2O molecules give
off a distinctive infrared glow.

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This glowing signal – detected
by Keck – allowed scientists the

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first direct measurement of
water vapor on Europa. And here,

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scientists measured over two
thousand tons of water in the

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plume, nearly the volume of an
Olympic swimming pool. While

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scientists currently have
limited ability to detect liquid

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water on Europa, this new
detection of water in vapor form

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is the next best thing in the
search for one of the most

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essential ingredients for life.
This discovery will inform

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future observations of Europa,
including NASA’s upcoming Europa

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Clipper mission, which will
study the Jovian moon at close

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range. These efforts should
further unlock the secrets of

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Europa and its potential for
life beyond Earth.