Joe
Dougherty January
10, 2014
Earth Science C
Odd Ms.
Davies
"Hubble Sees Evidence of Water
Vapor at Jupiter Moon." NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. N.p.,
12 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-363>.
In
December of 2012, the Hubble Space Telescope observed water vapor above the icy
surface of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons. This news is groundbreaking because
just recently, scientists were able to determine the cause. It is believed that
the water vapor erupted from plumes on the surface of Europa, but it is not yet
certain. If these explanations for the water vapor were correct, Europa would
be the second moon to have water vapor plumes along with Enceladus, a moon of
Saturn. Lorenz Roth, lead author at a research institute in San Antonio said, “If
those plumes are connected with the subsurface water ocean we are confident
exists under Europa's crust, then this means that future investigations can
directly investigate the chemical makeup of Europa's potentially habitable
environment without drilling through layers of ice.” Scientists are thrilled by
the breakthrough in the search for habitable planets. When the Hubble Telescope
observed the water vapor, scientists knew there could have been many other causes.
They were able to rule out all other possibilities and began searching for
plumes that were erupting. Some scientists believed that the plumes could be
stealth plumes because it was so hard to observe them. Stealth plumes are fainter
due to factors that can affect visibility, such as dust and lack of light. Roth
believes that cracks in the surface of the moon may be venting the water vapor. Like the
plumes on Enceladus, Europa’s orbit affects the venting. The jets are more
active when Europa is furthest from Jupiter. Unlike on Enceladus, the water
vapor does not float into space. It usually falls back to the surface. John
Grunsfeld, an astronaut who helped service the Hubble Space Telescope, was
enthralled by the new findings. He said, "If confirmed, this new
observation once again shows the power of the Hubble Space Telescope to explore
and opens a new chapter in our search for potentially habitable environments in
our solar system." Many scientists are eager to explore this new discovery
and to see what the future holds for Europa.
Personally,
I was thrilled by the news. The possibility of a habitable planet in our solar
system is very exciting. If we ever do have to abandon Earth in the case of a natural disaster, nuclear war, global warming, etc., Europa is becoming one of the best
options for survival. I think finding another planet that can
maintain life should be a top priority. I chose this topic because I believe it
is important to be aware that there could be other habitable planets out there
and there is almost definitely life outside of Earth already.
I
thoroughly enjoyed reading “Hubble Sees Evidence of Water Vapor at Jupiter Moon”
not only because of the exciting news, but also because it provided insight
into the search for habitable planets. Although it was very interesting, I felt
like I was left with many questions unanswered. How and when will be able to know if life
can be maintained on Europa? When we do find out if there is definitely water
on Europa, I want to know what else we need to know first before humans can
live there. Is there a chance that life could be on Europa already or has been?
I know that many of these questions are hard to answer since we still have
little information on Europa and we are so far away. However, I was disappointed after finishing the
article because I want to know more. One criticism is that I think the author
should have added statistics or facts that prove we should be looking for another
habitable planet. Otherwise, the reader may feel as if the search is unnecessary. I will continue to check updates on Europa in the future and am
excited for more breakthroughs.
Joe, I think that your opinions on this article and discovery were very well voiced and written. One point that was well presented by you was the overview of the article in the very beginning. It made the rest of the article easier to understand. Also, I think that you explained the importance of the discovery of water vapor on Europa very well. The fact that this may lead to us finding a source of water on this moon is amazing! Also, I think that you voiced your opinion well at the end. It was very interesting to learn that there is a possibility of an underground ocean on Europa because the water vapor had to have been escaping from a source of water through vapor plumes. Another point well-presented was how the vapor plumes have a possibility of being stealth plumes because it is very difficult to observe them from the Hubble telescope. I think that how you mentioned the connection between Enceladus and Europa and the times when their vents were the most active. A new piece of information that I learned was that instead of the water vapor floating up into space, on Europa, the vapor floats upwards, and then falls back to the surface. A second piece of information I learned from reading your report was that only two moons, including Europa have had water vapor found on them. You article was very well written, though I have one suggestion. When you stated your opinion on the matter, maybe add a little more detail as to why you chose the topic, and how it affects our lives currently.
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