Europa may not vent water into space after all
Recent analysis of data from the Hubble Space Telescope indicates that signs of water plumes on Jupiter's moon Europa have disappeared. This finding raises questions about the potential for life in Europa's subsurface ocean, as the plumes were previously considered a promising sign. Researchers now believe there is no strong evidence left to support the existence of these water jets.
- ▪Analysis of nearly a decade of Hubble Space Telescope observations shows no strong evidence for jets of vapor from Europa.
- ▪The signs of water plumes that were claimed 13 years ago have vanished.
- ▪The disappearance of these plumes could impact the search for life in Europa's subsurface sea.
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| Original publisher | Science News |
| Canonical URL | https://www.sciencenews.org/article/europa-moon-no-water-plumes-space |
| Publication time | Fri, 29 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-29T13:05:00.375Z |
| Last seen | 2026-05-29T13:05:00.375Z |
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News Planetary Science Europa may not vent water into space after all Signs of plumes spotted more than a decade ago disappeared with more data If Europa sprayed water into space, it could be helpful in the search for life in the icy moon's subsurface ocean. But signs of water plumes have vanished with more data. MSSS, SwRI, JPL-Caltech/NASA; image processing by Björn Jónsson CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 By Lisa Grossman 25 seconds ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Share on X (Opens in new window) X Print (Opens in new window) Print Signs of water plumes spewing from Jupiter’s icy moon Europa have vanished in a hydrogen haze.
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