Fountains Cancelled: Scientists Refute Existence of Geysers on Jupiter's Moon Europa

A sensational study published in the journal Science in 2014 set the course for studying icy moons in the solar system. At the time, based on Hubble Space Telescope data, scientists announced that water vapor was erupting 200 kilometers high from beneath the icy crust of the moon Europa. However, new research shows these conclusions were incorrect. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports .

According to a new article published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, the discovery at the time was actually the result of a technical error. Interestingly, this refutation was led by the author of the 2014 article, Dr. Lorenz Roth of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. His team re-analyzed all data collected by the Hubble telescope over 14 years.

It turns out that what was perceived as geysers was caused by a misregistration of coordinates on the telescope's detector. A shift of just one or two pixels in the position of the moon's disk in the image completely altered the spectral analysis. When correct calculations were performed, the massive 200-kilometer fountains turned into mere statistical noise.

This news came as an unexpected blow to the Europa Clipper probe launched by NASA. This spacecraft, which will reach the Jupiter system in 2031, had planned to study the ocean's composition through those very geysers without drilling. Now, the mission's scientific program may be revised, as it has become clear that ocean samples are not being ejected into open space.

Nevertheless, scientists do not deny the existence of a subsurface ocean on Europa. Geological evidence still points to the presence of liquid water, but it is clear that studying it will be much more difficult than expected. The final word will be delivered by Europa Clipper, which will reach its destination in five years.